OH, CHRISTMAS TREES!
Downtown display taking over storefronts
LANSDALE » Another borough tradition will look a little different for 2020, but is still aiming to bring holiday cheer to town.
Storefronts along Main and Broad Streets will soon be the sites — yes, plural — of the ninth annual Lansdale Christmas Tree Display, and this year’s title “Walking in a Window Wonderland” says it all.
“Having the trees in the store windows seems like just a fantastic solution to social distancing, and scheduling anyone to be available to work the program,” said organizer Ellen Foulke.
“It’s really going to highlight Lansdale’s walkability. It’s a walkable program, focused between Broad and Main Streets, almost all the way down to Valley Forge Road,” she said.
For nearly a decade, dozens of local businesses and organizations have decorated their own unique trees in what had been one gathering spot, as visitors walk through the display manned by volunteers and vote on their favorites.
Prior sites have included a former video store turned bike shop on the 800 block of W. Main St. in 2011, the former bor
ough arts center at 311 W. Main in 2012, a former furniture store back on the 800 block in 2013 and again in 2014, the Hager & Schultz Building at 327 W. Main in 2015, a onetime café adjacent to Railroad Plaza in 2016, no location could be secured in 2017, and more recently at a business on Broad Street in 2018, and at the North Penn Commons complex on the 600 block of East Main in 2019.
This year, trees will be set up in storefronts along Main and Broad Streets, so those who walk the downtown can see them all without any mass gathering, and those businesses with space for multiple trees have donated space to organizations who have been longtime participants.
“What’s so cool about it is that, for instance, Koehler’s Jewelry has offered a window space to the Lansdale Historical Society; Chantilly Floral has offered space to Garden of Health; West Main Consignment has a space for Manna on Main Street, and Wister’s Barbecue will have Well Crafted in his window with his own tree,” Foulke said.
“It fully is a business-to-business networking program. That was the reason behind it coming into existence at all, and this really shows and highlights that,” she said.
Setup by those taking part should be done on or around Nov. 27, and the display will “open” at 6 p.m. on Dec. 4, the same night the borough will likely air a virtual tree lighting ceremony of its own, and run through Dec. 22. Instead of a program book given out to those who attend, those who participate will be featured on a custom poster that businesses can put on display, and those participants, sponsors, their tree locations and numbers will all be listed online.
And instead of handing out paper forms for visitors to vote on their favorites, those voting forms will be available on the website for local event nonprofit Discover Lansdale and the “Lansdale Christmas Tree Display” Facebook page. Those who vote can choose their top three favorite trees, and drop the forms off at Henning’s Trains, 128 S. Line Street, and will be entered into a contest to win a complete Lionel train set for their own Christmas tree.
“This is probably our best expression of the intention for the program. Everyone on Main Street, and beyond, have been very excited about the whole thing,” Foulke said.
“We’ve had a very warm reception about the program, and a lot of comments from people saying ‘We’re just so pleased that there’s something so recognizable,’ so wholesome, so family-oriented or couples-oriented,” she said.
Those who “attend” are encouraged to wear face coverings, maintain social distancing, and follow all other health guidelines, but also to feel free to stop and shop as they feel comfortable to do so.
“And it’s a real bonus to our businesses, that people are actually stopping to look in the store windows, reading about some of the businesses and entities in town,” she said.
Those interested in assisting or sponsoring a display can contact Foulke at Servicestbc@comcast.net or organizer Bill Henning at Bill@discoverlansdale.org and for more information about the program itself, visit www.DiscoverLansdale.org, search for “Lansdale Christmas Tree Displays” on Facebook or follow @Lansdaleorg on Twitter.