Sun Inn Press Releases

Spillman Farmer Architects, Bob Spillman, Barry Pell and Jim Whildin have been named the recipients of the sixth annual Tribute to Historic Preservation Award sponsored by the Sun Inn Preservation Association.

Located in the heart of Bethlehem, Spillman Farmer Architects is surrounded by numerous familiar landmarks that have been projects of the firm. SFA designed the Bethlehem City Government Center and Public Library, Lehigh University’s Goodman Stadium, and the new ArtsQuest Center at Steel Stacks. The historic Sun Inn and Brethren’s House of Moravian College are examples of their restoration work.

“It is important that we recognize the people who preserve our history for future generations”, said John Howard, SIPA President.

Robert A. Spillman FAIA, a native of Bethlehem, is a man of many talents: architect, sailor, athlete, US Air Force Reserve officer (retired), community activist, and Olympic Torchbearer. Bob has served on many community boards including: LVIP, the Bethlehem Area Public Library, the national board of KidsPeace and the Bethlehem Historic Review Board to name a few.

Barry J. Pell AIA is a Senior Principal of SFA, with over 30 years of experience in the field. He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Architecture with High Distinction. He served on the Boards of the Ballet Guild, the Bethlehem Rotary, Moravian Hall Square and the Sun Inn Preservation Association.

James G. Whildin AIA, a “Principal Emeritus” at SFA, has a special love for the renovation and restoration of historic architecture. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Duke University and then earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been project architect for many renovations and restorations in the Historic District of Bethlehem including the Sun Inn and Luckenbach Mill.

The award will be presented during a reception at the 1758 Moravian Sun Inn on Friday, November 4, 2011. The reception is from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm and tickets are $50 a person, $40 for SIPA members. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Sun Inn Preservation Association office at 610-866-1758.

GHOST HUTING THIS WEEKEND

Ever since the book “Bethlehem Ghosts” can out about 3 years ago, local Ghost Hunting groups have done investigations in the Sun Inn. Most of these investigations found some form or paranormal activity or another.

The latest and most prestigious of these groups did an investigation three weeks ago in the Sun Inn and confirmed what other groups have been saying – The 1758 Moravian Sun Inn has paranormal activity. TAPS filmed an upcoming episode of "Ghost Hunters” for the SyFy Channel scheduled for a December showing. “TAPS was very excited with what they found here in the Inn,” said Bucky Szulborski, Sun Inn Innkeeper who toured the building with Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of the TV show.

The Sun Inn Preservation Association, working with the local paranormal group, P.H.E.A.R. (Paranormal Help Experiment and Activity Research), is offering the public a chance to do their own ghost hunting in the Sun Inn.

This Friday, October 28, James Beard nominated Chef Michal Adams is offering a Dinner and Introduction to Ghost Hunting. The menu includes:

Following dinner will be an Introduction to Ghost Hunting by Lehigh Valley P.H.E.A.R. where they will show you what they do, how they do it and show the equipment they use. They will then show you what they found on previous ghost hunts in the Inn and then take you on an actual Ghost Hunt in the building. Dinner starts at 7:00 pm and the cost is $70 per person, which includes tax and gratuity.

For the diehard Ghost Hunting fans, the Sun Inn will have an all night Ghost Hunt this Saturday, Oct. 29 from 10:00 pm until 5:00 am. Cost is $75 per person which includes snacks throughout the night.

For tickets or more information, please call the Sun Inn Preservation Office at 610-866-1758. MasterCard, Visa and Discover is accepted for payment.

CHOCOLATE MELTDOWN MAY 15, 2011

“Chocolate Meltdown” returns to the 1758 Moravian Sun Inn on Sunday, May 15, 2011. This event celebrates all things chocolate.

Guests will enjoy tastings of Savory Dishes using chocolate. Items from chocolate appetizers, entrees, deserts as well as chocolate cocktails and chocolate beer with be available for guests to sample. In addition, a Chocolate Martini Bar will be available on a cash basis. Highlighting the event will be an appearance by Miss Southeastern Pennsylvania, Andrea Newton.

The samplings will be available from 1:00 pm till 4:00 pm on the second floor of the Sun Inn while the Chocolate Martini Bar will be open from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm on the first floor. Featured in the Chocolate Martini Bar will be Dana Hall performing from 3:00pm – 6:00pm.

Cost is $35 per ticket or $60 per couple. Tickets are available by calling the Sun Inn Preservation Association office at 610-866-1758. Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted for payment.

“We are happy to bring back this popular event to the Sun Inn”, said John Howard, SIPA president. “Next year we hope to bring back the popular Strawberry Festival” he added.

Future events planned at the Sun Inn include a Pulaski Day Halupki Dinner in the fall, celebrating General Pulaski’s stay at the Inn and, An Afternoon with Psychic Medium Amber Anderson on May 22^nd, and the Tribute to Historic Preservation Award Reception in June. Proceeds benefit the ongoing restoration of the Sun Inn.

Vernon H. Nelson Lecture Series Continues at the Sun Inn

The Vernon H. Nelson Lecture Series held in the 1758 Moravian Sun Inn has announced the spring schedule.

The Vernon H. Nelson Lecture Series is an ongoing program of the Sun Inn Preservation Association (SIPA) and is held on Thursdays, in the Sun Inn, 564 Main Street, in Downtown Bethlehem. The programs begin at 12 noon. The Lecture Series is named in honor of the late Rev. Vernon H. Nelson, whose lecture on the Sun Inn in 1971 inspired Hughetta Bender to save the Sun Inn.

Attendees are invited to bring their own lunch, coffee service is provided free of charge. The program is open to the public and is free for SIPA members. A $5.00 donation is asked of non-members.

For more information on the Vernon H. Nelson Lecture Series, please call the Sun Inn Preservation Association office at 610-866-1758 or visit the Sun Inn Preservation Association web site at www.SunInnBethlehem.org.

The Sun Inn Preservation Association, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization founded for the explicit purpose of acquiring, restoring, interpreting and maintaining the Historic SUN INN of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for the community at large. The Sun Inn is open for self-guided tours on Saturdays from 12 noon till 4:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 1:00 p.m. till 4:00 p.m.

Special Ghost Hunting at the Sun Inn

“The Ghost Chicks” a reality TV show pilot will air on Service Electric TV2 on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 8:30 pm and again on Sunday, October 31 at 9:00 pm on channel position 2.

Filmed in the 1758 Moravian Sun Inn in downtown Bethlehem, the hour show is about 3 female paranormal investigators, accompanied by Psychic Amber Anderson as they investigate the historic Bethlehem landmark.

“They picked up a number of voices on their digital recorders as well as “orbs” flying out of the Martha Washington Suite”, said John Howard, Sun Inn Preservation Association President.

It all started two years ago with the book “Bethlehem Ghosts”, said Bucky Szulborski, Sun Inn Innkeeper. “Since then we had a number of paranormal groups investigate the Inn and most found some sort of paranormal activity. The most exciting thing found was in a photo of a second floor room taken by one of the groups. In it you see what appears to be a person looking in the window from the outside. It appears to be Hughetta Bender, founder of the Sun Inn Preservation Association, who passed away in 1995,” said Szulborski.

The Ghost Chicks are Mary Foley, Kristina Rugnetta and Stephanie Albanese who all felt the Sun Inn with its rich history is a special place and were happy to explore it.

In the spirit of Halloween, the Sun Inn is offering Ghost Hunting with the local paranormal group RIPA on Friday and Saturday. Friday, Oct. 29 from 9pm – 11pm.

Cost is $35 per person and a special overnight Ghost Hunt on Saturday, Oct. 30 from 10pm to 6am.

Psychic Amber Anderson will join the Saturday overnight Ghost Hunt and will include psychic readings throughout the night. Cost is $100 per person and includes refreshments and a continental breakfast in the morning. All proceeds benefit the Sun Inn Preservation Association.

SUN INN PAYS TRIBUTE TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION HONORS BEALL FOWLER WITH AWARD

W. Beall Fowler has been named the recipient of the fifth annual Tribute to Historic Preservation Award sponsored by the Sun Inn Preservation Association.

Beall Fowler grew up near the small rural town of Honesdale, Pa, where he worked summers on his uncle’s dairy farm and also played baseball with modest success.

“It is important that we recognize the people who preserve our history for future generations”, said John Howard, SIPA President.

Fowler studied engineering physics at Lehigh University, graduating in 1959, and then obtained a Ph.D. in physics at the University of Rochester. After three years of postdoctoral research and teaching at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he began a 35-year career as a physics professor at Lehigh, interspersed by a sabbatical year at Oxford University and the University of Parma, Italy, two stints as physics department chairman and one year as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He officially retired in 2001 but has an active research program in semiconductor physics at Lehigh.

When his children were young, Fowler managed Little League teams. Fowler was elected to a Government Study Commission in Lower Saucon Township, where he and his family lived before moving to Bethlehem in 1993.

Fowler served on the board and was President of Historic Bethlehem Inc. and is currently on the board (and past president) of the Historic Bethlehem Partnership. He is also on the board of the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society and is President of the board of the Bethlehem Historic District Association. He judges at science fairs and helps select outstanding students for the DaVinci Science Center Hall of Fame. He and his wife Linny are parents of 4 and grandparents of 12. Beall and his wife reside in Bethlehem’s Historic District.

The award will be presented during a reception at the 1758 Moravian Sun Inn on Friday, September 24, 2010. The reception is from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm and tickets are $100 a person, $50 for SIPA members. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Sun Inn Preservation Association office at 610-866-1758.

CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL RETURNS TO SUN INN

“Chocolate Meltdown” to Highlight History of Chocolate in Colonial America

An old event from years past, Chocolate Fest, returns to the Sun Inn as “Chocolate Meltdown” on April 11, 2010. This new event celebrates all things chocolate. Guests will enjoy tastings of Savory Dishes using chocolate. Items from chocolate appetizers, entrees, deserts as well as chocolate cocktails and chocolate beer with be available for guests to sample. In addition, a Chocolate Martini Bar will be available on a cash basis.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is providing a special video on 18^th century chocolate making for the event. It was produced by the foundation and filmed in the Governor’s Palace Kitchen in Colonial Williamsburg.

Participates in the Chocolate Meltdown to date include: The Farmhouse Restaurant, Granny McCarthy’s Tea Room, Mama Nina’s, Granny Schmidt’s Bakery, Keystone Home Brew, Lombardi’s Plaza Deli, Wired Gallery & Café, the Back Door Bakeshop, Capital Wines, Brooklyn Brewery and Shuze.

Some of the items being presented include: Chicken and Beef Mole’ from the Farmhouse Restaurant, Chocolate Cheese and Chocolate Raspberry Wheat Beer from Keystone Home Brew and Mexican Hot Chocolate from Wired Gallery & Café.

The event will be held on Sunday, April 11, 2010 from 4:00 p.m. till 7:00 p.m. Cost is $35 per ticket or $60 per couple. Tickets are available by calling the Sun Inn Preservation Association office at 610-866-1758. Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted for payment.

“We are happy to bring back an old event to the Sun Inn with a new format”, said John Howard, SIPA president. “Next year we hope to bring back the popular Strawberry Festival” he added.

A contest was held to name the event and was won by Bethlehem resident, Kelly Drust, who came up with the name “Chocolate Meltdown”.

Future events planned at the Sun Inn include a Pulaski Day Halupki Dinner on May 16^th and the Tribute to Historic Preservation Award Reception in June. Proceeds benefit the ongoing restoration of the Sun Inn.

SUN INN LECTURE SERIES NOW VERNON H. NELSON LECTURE SERIES

The Sun Inn Brown Bag Lecture Series has been renamed the Vernon H. Nelson Lecture Series in honor of the late Rev. Vernon H. Nelson, whose lecture on the Sun Inn in 1971 inspired Hughetta Bender to save the Sun Inn. The Spring Series will include:

Topic: Bethlehem’s New Historic Comprehensive Plan &

Greenway Project & other City Initiatives

Topic: The Making of a TV Pilot in the Sun Inn

May 20 – Lanie Graf – Assistant Archivist, Moravian

Archives

Topic: The Use of the Cittern in Moravian Worship

The Vernon H. Nelson Lecture Series is an ongoing program of the Sun Inn Preservation Association (SIPA) and is held on Thursdays, in the Sun Inn, 566 Main Street, in Downtown Bethlehem. The programs begin at 12 noon.

Attendees are invited to bring their own lunch, coffee service is provided free of charge. For those who don’t want to bring a bag lunch, special arrangements have been made with Lombardi’s Deli for a special lunch deal. You can call Lombardi’s Deli at 484-895-3717 the morning of the program and have your lunch

available for pick up at the Deli before you come to the Sun Inn. Lombardi’s Deli is conveniently located in the Payson Building off the Sun Inn Courtyard.

The program is open to the public and is free for SIPA members. A $5.00 donation is asked of non-members.

For more information on the Vernon H. Nelson Lecture Series, please call the Sun Inn Preservation Association office at 610-866-1758.

TWO ORGANIZATIONS TEAM UP FOR BENEFIT SPAGHETTI DINNER

The Sun Inn Preservation Association and the Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant have teamed up to host a Benefit Spaghetti Dinner, on Sunday, March 14, 2010 from 12 noon till 5:00 p.m.

“Because some of our members are on both boards, the idea to work together was perfect,” said Bucky Szulborski, Sun Inn Innkeeper. “We have the facility and want to see it put to use”, said Szulborski.

The 1758 Moravian Sun Inn is an authentic architectural restoration of the original building as it was when prominent leaders such as, Martha Washington, George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Ethan Allen, Henry Laurens, Richard Lee, Marquis de Lafayette, and many other distinguished notables visited.

The Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant, held each year in December, is an outdoor presentation telling of the historical events around the birth of Jesus.

“The Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant organization is happy to partner with the Sun Inn Preservation Association for this joint event”, said Dave Landis, LBCP president.

Tickets for the Spaghetti Dinner are $10 for adults and $5 for children. For tickets call the Sun Inn Preservation Association office at 610-866-1758.

Visa, MasterCard and Discover are acceptable for tickets. Takeout is available and no tickets will be sold at the door.

The Sun Inn Preservation Association, Inc. and the Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant are both 501 (c) (3) non-profit organizations.

SUN INN LECTURE SERIES CONTINUES WITH THE LEGACY OF A.W. LEH

The Sun Inn Preservation Association's Brown Bag Lecture Series will continue on Thursday, October 15, 2009, with a presentation by local author Ken Raniere on his new book: A Living Legacy: Architecture of A. W. Leh. Leh was the architect for many of the buildings in the Lehigh Valley including the Flatiron Building and Broughal Middle School in South Bethlehem.

The program is held in the Sun Inn, 566 Main Street, in Downtown Bethlehem at begins at 12 noon.

Attendees are invited to bring their own lunch, coffee service is provided free of charge. For those who don't want to bring a bag lunch, special arrangements have been made with Lombardi's Deli for a special lunch deal. You can call Lombardi's Deli at 484-895-3717 the morning of the program and have your lunch available for pick up at the Deli before you come to the Sun Inn. Lombardi's Deli is conveniently located in the Payson Building off the Sun Inn Courtyard.

The program is open to the public and is free for SIPA members. A donation to SIPA is asked of non-members. For more information on the Bag Lunch Lecture Series, please call the Sun Inn Preservation Association office at 610-866-1758.

The Sun Inn Preservation Association, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization founded for the explicit purpose of acquiring, restoring, interpreting and maintaining the Historic SUN INN of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for the community at large.

Press Releases

Contents:

SUN INN PAYS TRIBUTE TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION HONORS SPILLMAN FARMER ARCHITECTS WITH AWARD