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HARMONY — People braved the cold conditions this weekend to visit Harmony Museum's annual WeihnachtsMarkt.
“That's how they do it in Germany,” said Gwen Lutz of Zelienople, a co-chair for the event.
According to Lutz on Sunday, about 3,500 people visited the market and milled around the historic borough.
Mara Menges, 10, of Fox Chapel, visited some of the shops along Main Street with her mother Sunday as large, dark-colored Clydesdales passed with a cart full of people in tow.
“I think the horses are really cool,” Mara said.
Tom and Cindy Book, of New Castle, were leaving shortly before the rain came down Sunday. The couple carried multiple paper bags with them.
“We got some German souvenirs,” said Tom Book, wearing an Alpine hat, a German-style brimmed hat, often featuring a feather.
Tom Book said the food at the market was delicious and was an authentic German experience, including schnitzels and bratwurst.
Cindy Book said she, too, enjoyed the food, particularly the pretzels. She said she also enjoyed seeing all the well-crafted pieces brought by artisans, like clothing, jewelry and other artistic items.
“They had a lot of beautiful things,” she said.
Lutz said a big part of WiehnachtsMarkt is about Christmas and the holiday season, but it is also in its own right a cultural celebration paying homage to the German settlers who founded Harmony in 1804.
“We've tried to be true to our German heritage,” she said. “It's more than just an event to go to, It's a cultural event.”
Nathan Lloyd, of Zelienople, and Andrew Orient, of Harmony, helped children operate a hand-cranked cider press.
Children loaded apples into a hopper, which fed them to a grinder below. The remnants of the apple dropped into a bucket to be used later to make cider.
Orient said the press they brought this year was borrowed from Old Economy Village, a museum in Ambridge.
Lloyd said the children always enjoy operating the machine, and it gives them a glimpse into a mechanical feat not often seen in today's society.
“I just like sharing the joy of making cider,” he said. “We're trying to get some interest in it.”
Lutz said the event has transformed greatly from its early years, when it only was a craft show. She said they left the crafts behind and invited more artisans with high-quality items, along with the cultural additions.
“It's something people do again and again,” Lutz said.
The Harmony Museum uses the funds from events such as WiehnachtsMarkt to maintain its nine historical sites in the borough, seven of which are buildings. Lutz said WiehnachtsMarkt continues to be successful, apparently regardless of what the weather decides to do.
“This has been a good one,” Lutz said.
