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<p>SWOYERSVILLE &#8212; It was an old-time Christmas gathering in a neighborhood fire hall.</p><p>Friends and family filled the Maltby Volunteer Fire Co. hall on Owen Street to listen and sing along to traditional Christmas songs, capped off by a visit from Santa Claus himself.</p><p>Mayor Chris Concert put the event together and more than 150 people turned out for an evening of old-fashioned Christmas celebrating.</p><p>And it was for a good cause. Proceeds from the event will be given to the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center for veterans to use in the facility&#8217;s commissary. Veterans will be able to use the money to purchase needed items, like socks, toiletries, clothing and more.</p><p>&#8220;We have this concert every year and donate the proceeds to a different charity,&#8221; Mayor Concert said. &#8220;This year we wanted to help our veterans &#8212; veterans who need help.&#8221;</p><p>Concert said he didn&#8217;t know how much money would be raised. &#8220;Every little bit helps,&#8221; he said.</p><p>That was a nice message to hear on this late November night. The last time we saw Concert was at a rally he organized at Roosevelt Park to send a message to the Ku Klux Klan, which had dropped flyers in a Swoyersville neighborhood.</p><p>Concert does these things because he sincerely cares about the town and he wants to do whatever he can to make living in Swoyersville better, in his estimation.</p><p>That&#8217;s why listening to Christmas carols on a Sunday night seemed like a good idea. And it was a good idea that seemed to get better as the night went on.</p><p>George Rittenhouse, Concert&#8217;s uncle and a guy who has entertained many, especially senior citizens, hosted the event and performed several songs. Rittenhouse loves Elvis Presley and the night wouldn&#8217;t have been complete without his rendition of &#8220;Blue Christmas.&#8221;</p><p>Singers this year were John Davis and Cathy Paty from the band Iron Cowboy, Myke Jordan and Heather Weeks from Hell Yo Band, and Dave Resavage from Swoyersville. They all did a remarkable job and the crowd loved it, singing along throughout the performances.</p><p>On a Sunday evening when many would prefer to watch NFL football or seek Black Friday weekend bargains, this group came out to support veterans and to enjoy the Christmas spirit.</p><p>When John Davis got up to sing, he called up his 90-year-old mother, Jean, to sing &#8220;Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas&#8221; with him. It was a special moment, for sure. First, Jean showed that she can still carry a tune and entertain, and second, John showed us why this time of year is so special and why this event meant so much.</p><p>John&#8217;s dad, Jim, was a veteran of World War II, he told me. And John served in the U.S. Air Force, and his older brother is a Navy veteran. Service to one&#8217;s country is and always has been important to the Davis family.</p><p>So singing before 150 people at the Maltby Volunteer Fire Company on this Sunday night seemed like the right thing to do for John. And having the opportunity to have his mom join him at center stage was all the more thrilling.</p><p>&#8220;She&#8217;s 90 years old and she still has the voice of an angel,&#8221; John said.</p><p>When Mayor Concert pitched the event as a possible story, he said it would be a &#8220;laid-back show with all the traditional music you grew up listening to.&#8221; &#8220;In this time in our country, it will be great to see everyone come out and take some time to enjoy the holiday season,&#8221; he added.</p><p>And that&#8217;s exactly what happened. Nobody said a word about the four Christmas trees all decorated at the front of the room. Nor was there a mention of Jesus on the cross hanging on the wall. It was a festive atmosphere held in a room with red paint on the walls and the only thing that mattered was having some quality family fun.</p><p>And just about everyone sang the opening song, honoring our veterans with &#8220;America the Beautiful.&#8221;</p><p>The songs that followed included &#8220;Away in a Manger,&#8221; &#8220;I&#8217;ll be Home for Christmas,&#8221; &#8220;Baby It&#8217;s Cold Outside,&#8221; and more.</p><p>All who attended sang and smiled and clapped and enjoyed, and all walked out of the Maltby Volunteer Fire Company building laughing and talking to their neighbors and to total strangers. It felt good. It did good. It was good.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">John Davis, right, from the Iron Cowboy band, sings with his mother, Jean Davis, up on stage for a duet at the holiday event at Maltby Fire Company in Swoyersville on Sunday evening. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL113015InfocusConcert1.jpg</photo0><caption0>John Davis, right, from the Iron Cowboy band, sings with his mother, Jean Davis, up on stage for a duet at the holiday event at Maltby Fire Company in Swoyersville on Sunday evening. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL113015InfocusConcert2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">John Davis and Cathy Paty of the Iron Cowboy Band, perform for the crowd at Mayor Chris Concert&#8217;s holiday event at the Maltby Volunteer Fire Company in Swoyersville on Sunday evening. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL113015InfocusConcert2.jpg</photo1><caption1>John Davis and Cathy Paty of the Iron Cowboy Band, perform for the crowd at Mayor Chris Concert&#8217;s holiday event at the Maltby Volunteer Fire Company in Swoyersville on Sunday evening. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL113015InfocusConcert3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Swoyersville Mayor Chris Concert applauds after a performance at the Christmas Concert held at Maltby Volunteer Fire Company in Swoyersville Sunday evening. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL113015InfocusConcert3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Swoyersville Mayor Chris Concert applauds after a performance at the Christmas Concert held at Maltby Volunteer Fire Company in Swoyersville Sunday evening. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-16.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-16.jpg</photo3><caption3>Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

In Focus: An old-time Christmas concert in a fire hall