How to go
What: Pioneer Christmas
When: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13
Where: Keehner Park, Cabin in the Clearing, 7211 Barret Road, West Chester Twp.
Cost: Free
WEST CHESTER TWP. — One doesn’t need to be Scrooge to see a Christmas past. The Pioneer Christmas at Keehner Park in West Chester Twp. takes care of that.
The event takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, at the park’s Cabin in the Clearing.
“It’s set up to be an opportunity to see what it was like” to have Christmas in the pioneer days, said Barb Wilson, a spokeswoman for the township. The time period represented is supposed to be the mid-1800s.
The cabin will be decorated, and children will be invited to add decorations to the tree. Pioneer flavorings include molasses cookies, apple cider and venison chili.
Santa Claus also will be on hand for photos. Visitors are asked to bring their own cameras.
This year’s event has a bittersweet tinge because it’s the first one held since the event’s founder, Mary Raffel, passed away last year, only two days after Christmas, at the age of 68.
Known as “Miss Mary,” Raffel was known for making pets out of any creature, including a rat named Priscilla that wore miniature clothes and ran free in her basement office at the West Chester Twp. administrative building. Raffel led an effort to save the 1833 log cabin with the help of children who saved loose change.
“Mary would be pleased the event was continuing. That was what was important to her,” Wilson said.
About the Author