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<p>FOSTER TWP. &#8212; Although visitors to Eckley Miners&#8217; Village typically walk down its main dirt road to sightsee, the bitter temperatures and high wind gusts on Saturday prompted many to instead drive their vehicles, parking in the state historic site to get out and travel from house to house.</p><p>The village, which now serves as museum, held its annual &#8220;Christmas at Eckley&#8221; activities Saturday, including a variety of old-Irish traditions and games, musical and visual performances, and a visit from Saint Nicholas.</p><p>Sitting in a wooden chair next to a vintage Christmas tree in the visitor&#8217;s center, Saint Nicholas lifted children to his lap and spoke to them while parents snapped photos.</p><p>Many of the village&#8217;s homes and buildings were open for the event, offering spectators an overview of old-time cooking techniques and Christmas carols.</p><p>White Haven resident Mary Snyder brought her sons, Josh and Zach, and their friend, Corbin, to the event. As Snyder glanced at her map of Eckley, she said that the family came to the village for a glimpse into local coal-mining life of bygone days.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s nice for the kids to get in touch with the history of the local area,&#8221; she said, noting that her great-grandparents had worked as coal miners. &#8220;It&#8217;s something to see, right here in our own area.&#8221;</p><p>Inside the Eckley Corner Store, guests heard students from MMI Preparatory School sing Christmas carols in German. The students stood around a small Christmas tree, perched atop an old wooden barrel, as their German language teacher, Gabriela Moustardas, directed them in &#8220;O Tannenbaum.&#8221; After the caroling was complete, guests walked around the store and purchased small items, such as socks, notepads and hats.</p><p>Elsewhere, families huddled inside a small shed behind one of the homes, watching and learning as Eckley volunteer Angela Rabbitz made Welsh cookies on a coal stove. As she explained to the families how the stove works, she said the machinery becomes easier to use with experience.</p><p>&#8220;The more you cook with coal, it just becomes instinct,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Rabbitz used a family recipe to create the cookies, which she handed out to guests to sample. Rabbitz said that her great-grandmother used to add a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon into the mixture, which consisted of flour, butter, eggs, a splash of milk and baking powder.</p><p>Nearby, dancers from the Elite Dance Company out of West Hazleton prepared to perform.</p><p>About 15 dancers clad in matching white sweatsuits with red hats danced around the Eckley Catholic Church to holiday classics such as &#8220;Santa Claus is Coming to Town.&#8221;</p><p>Paul Pritchard brought his family from Larksville to experience &#8220;Christmas at Eckley.&#8221; Explaining that his son is working on a school project about the Molly Maguires (a 19th-century secret society of Irish-American and Irish immigrant coal miners in Pennsylvania), Pritchard said he thought Eckley would be a good place to visit.</p><p>&#8220;We just heard about the event on the website,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We saw the Christmas event going on this weekend and decided to come up. It&#8217;s nice to see how the holidays were celebrated at different times.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Freeland MMI Preparatory School German teacher Gabriela Moustardas, right, leads her students in singing Christmas carols on Saturday afternoon in German inside St. James Episcopal Church at Eckley Miners&#8217; Village during its &#8216;Christmas at Eckley&#8217; activities. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL120416Eckley_1-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Freeland MMI Preparatory School German teacher Gabriela Moustardas, right, leads her students in singing Christmas carols on Saturday afternoon in German inside St. James Episcopal Church at Eckley Miners&#8217; Village during its &#8216;Christmas at Eckley&#8217; activities. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL120416Eckley_2-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Volunteer Gina Gibbon trims a Christmas tree with World War II-era decorations. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL120416Eckley_2-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Volunteer Gina Gibbon trims a Christmas tree with World War II-era decorations. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL120416Eckley_3-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tamaqua Anthracite Model Railroad Club member John Shucavage operates an HO-scale train. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL120416Eckley_3-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Tamaqua Anthracite Model Railroad Club member John Shucavage operates an HO-scale train. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL120416Eckley_4-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">&#8216;Trumpeter on the Street&#8217; Frank Balon, of Freeland, plays the sounds of the season for passersby walking through Eckley Miners&#8217; Village. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL120416Eckley_4-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>&#8216;Trumpeter on the Street&#8217; Frank Balon, of Freeland, plays the sounds of the season for passersby walking through Eckley Miners&#8217; Village. </caption3><photoCredit3>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL120416Eckley_5-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hazleton resident Angie Rabbitz makes Welsh cookies, using her great-grandmother&#8217;s recipe, on a griddle inside a 1920s kitchen. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL120416Eckley_5-2.jpg</photo4><caption4>Hazleton resident Angie Rabbitz makes Welsh cookies, using her great-grandmother&#8217;s recipe, on a griddle inside a 1920s kitchen. </caption4><photoCredit4>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> Christmas at Eckley</p><p><strong>When:</strong> Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Eckley Miners&#8217; Village, located 3 miles south of Freeland on Highland Road, off Foster Avenue/Route 940. For GPS, use the address &#8220;2 Eckley Back Road, Weatherly, PA 18255.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Includes:</strong> Performances, self-guided tours. Admission is $7, with $1 off for guests who bring a canned item that will be donated to Valley Pantry. Proceeds from the event continue to fund educational programs at the site.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader news at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

‘Christmas at Eckley’ offers guests glimpse of old-fashioned holiday