Historic Bethlehem Museum and Sites holiday dinner and auction raises over $200,000

Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) celebrated 29 years of holiday fundraising at the annual Holiday Dinner & Auction on Saturday, Dec. 4 at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks with an online auction and livestream through the Givergy platform.
The event raised over $200,000 for HBMS.
After a year of virtual events, the hybrid, virtual and in-person COVID-safe gathering raised funds to support, protect and maintain 20 historic buildings and almost three centuries of history in Historic Bethlehem. Events like the Holiday Dinner and Art Auction have enabled Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites to produce engaging and accessible exhibitions, tours, and programs for all ages.
In the live auction, the featured artwork, “Colonial Quarter Evening Shadows” by Elena Shackleton, which captures the serenity of the Colonial Industrial Quarter, alongside the Monocacy Creek in winter, was the second highest selling painting in the history of the Holiday Dinner, at $12,000.

“Winter Barn” by the late Ruth Pook, whose portraits and landscapes hang in galleries and homes throughout the United States and Canada, was purchased by her daughter, Peggy, a longtime supporter of The Holiday Dinner and Art Auction.
Peggy Pook, who was unable to attend the HBMS event, bid online and continued to check on the auction from the event she attended that evening via the online platform; despite competition, at the end of the night she prevailed.
“I love my mom’s paintings – whenever I find one, I buy it! This is a win-win – it’s a good cause,” Peggy said.
The 2021 individual honoree was Judy Thomas, who for over 50 years, has been involved with Historic Bethlehem helping to preserve the historic Moravian buildings which have been so much a part of her life. The 2021 business honoree was Quadrant, a supporter of Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites.

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