Robert Budny passed out candy canes
The population of Harmony, Pennsylvania quadrupled Saturday, November 9, 2013 as 4,000+ visitors descended into the Weihnachtsmartkt (Christmas Market) being held at the Harmony Museum. Visitors in the area know that they will find some of the most talented artisans in the region represented each year at this marketplace. With the temperatures in the lower 40’s, attendance was not as large on Sunday, giving shoppers a little more elbow room and time to chat with the vendors. It’s easiest to find Harmony off I-79 exits 87-88, about 10 miles north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and 30 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh. Hundreds of Christmas Markets dot the German countryside and they are catching on in popularity, with dozens listed in Wikipedia here in the United States. While Harmony is not one of the biggest, the quality of the artisans was outstanding. Shoppers seemed amazed at the talent on display as many craftspeople were demonstrating how their work was done.
Gluhwein – ready to warm your spirits, served by Kathy McCracken and Robert Franz
Just past the entrance, the scents of wine, cider and mulled spices pulled shoppers into the wine garden on the left, where volunteers mixed large quantities of Gluhwein (glow wine) over a roaring fire. Competing for your taste buds, smells of German brats, German potato salad and spaetzle wafted over from the right. A dining tent was set up just beyond and kept diners out of the breeze. Sounds of German music pulled visitors into the market with various groups performing over the weekend. The Alpen Schuhplattlers, Augsburg Band, Burke’s Bavarian Brass, Pittsburgh Swiss Singers and the Acme Tunes hammered dulcimer ensemble all performed for this year’s market.
Free carriage rides were included with the Christmas Market admission fee
Just outside the market grounds, horse drawn carriage rides were being given through this historically significant borough. Many local merchants were open as well with an endless variety of products suitable for holiday presents. Business was so good that the bakery completely sold out on Saturday, much to my wife’s dismay. Artisans lined both sides of the area behind the Harmony Museum and Fire Department, and tent after tent revealed new and marvelous crafts of every imaginable material. Not your ordinary craft show, these were all pieces worthy of being on the shelves of your most renowned retailers. Kathryn Carr was a formally trained artist who worked in all sorts of mediums until finding her true love in the art of Scherenschnitte (paper cutting.) She now creates original designs in silhouette – mostly whimsical, but all delightful. Framed art as well as greeting cards are available with a whole variety of designs from her Go Carr Go Art Studio.
Gregg Kristophel is from Harmony and produces some fabulous spoons and kitchen utensils of cherry wood, using time-honored techniques and sealed for modern usage with beeswax and mineral oil.
Lori Chandler from Valencia, Pennsylvania started making soaps with her daughter for a school project and now has a complete line of soaps and beeswax Christmas ornaments.
James Kapusta of makes stacking shaker boxes and trays with delicately bend wood and carefully fitted tops from his workshop in Hermitage, Pennsylvania.
David Hughes of Gibsonia, PA was formerly a gunsmith, and decided that silversmithing was the craft he enjoyed most. He now handcrafts elegant fine and sterling silver pieces for jewelry and for historic re-enactors.
Debra Ahmed from Xenia, Ohio has very talented fingers and uses them to cut, roll and glue fine slivers of paper to create delicate ornaments with a rainbow of colors available.
Paul Claus of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania makes drinking vessels using a process called Jackware or sewing then sealing leather.
Watch the Harmony Museum website for dates for upcoming Christmas Markets and enjoy the real German tradition of Weihnachtsmarkt.
Harmony Museum
218 Mercer Street
Harmony, PA 16037
P 724-452-7341
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