Now that the dazzling Highland Christmas tree in Barryville has been lit -this year with the addition of 2,000 new lights, one of my very favorite Christmas events is coming up on Christmas Eve and it revolves around our majestic Delaware River. As in years past, the Shohola Area Lions Club will have their Annual Remembrance Luminary Candles placed on the Shohola Bridge where they will remain lighting the bridge all Christmas Eve night. Shohola, where the bridge passes above the river, is a historic and some say mystical location for several reasons. The name Shohola in the Lenni Lenape language means a “place of peace” and the native Lenni Lenape were known as being a peace loving nation and are referred to as “the grandfathers” or the “ancient ones” in Native American culture. Centuries ago, Native Americans, including the local Lenni Lenape nation, would travel from Canada through to what we now know as New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey and use the area we now know as the Shohola stretch to cross over the Delaware River. On July 15, 1864, near Shohola Bridge, a train carrying Confederate prisoners collided head on with a coal train, resulting in sixty-five deaths among the guards, prisoners, and train crew. Many were buried in Barryville, fulfilling a promise to southern families that their loved ones would rest there and be honored with an annual memorial service each July 15th—an observance that has continued for 161 years. The service takes place at the cemetery behind Town of Highland Supervisor John Pizzolato’s house in Barryville.

Luminaries serve as a meaningful way to honor family, loved ones, and friends during the Christmas season. The candlelit bridge over the Delaware River, particularly at sunset, provides a visually beautiful setting for the luminary display. Each year, I purchase luminaries to commemorate my family members and participate in the Christmas Eve walk and feel confident that the bridge is safe for community visitors to use.

You can buy a Shohola Lions Club luminary for $5.00 at several locations in Shohola and Barryville, including Wayne Bank, Harry’s Gas Station, St. Jacobi Church, Rohman’s Inn, Back to Baker’s BVH Sports Bar, Il Castello Restaurant, and after mass at St. Ann’s Church. There’s room on each holder to print the name of someone you wish to honor. Walking across the bridge to see the luminaries has become a wonderful annual community tradition.

Lou Monteleone’s Santa’s Village of Giving, located at Pizza Piazza in Eldred, serves as a holiday donation site for local nonprofits. This year, the Village is accepting food and clothing for the Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless, pet food and supplies for a no-kill shelter, toys for children (distributed locally), and holiday cards and letters for military members serving overseas. Donations are accepted 24/7 until mid-January 2026, and according to Lou, giving has been generous. For more information or to request donated items, visit Lou's Facebook page or talk to him at The Corner Shop in Eldred.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays.