Kutztown's Holiday Season, Pennsylvania Dutch Style: Model Trains, the Belsnickel, and Santa at the Station

On two Sunday afternoons this November, an HO-scale train will make its loops inside the 1892 Public School Building on South Whiteoak Street. Admission is free, and the layout runs from 1 to 3 p.m. A few weeks later, full-size cars will pull out of Kutztown Station on Railroad Street with Santa and Mrs. Claus on board.

Kutztown's holiday season tends to arrive one train at a time. If you lay the calendar out in order, the season moves from the small trains to the big ones. Pennsylvania German tradition fills the space in between, and it all peaks on one Saturday in early December.

The railroad got here first

The East Penn Branch of the Reading Railroad reached Kutztown in January 1870, according to the Kutztown Area Historical Society. The society set that history as the topic of an Oct. 18 talk by John M. Lawlor, Jr., a professor emeritus of history at Reading Area Community College. For the presentation, the society says, he researched census and business records to chart how Kutztown and eastern Berks residents found work with the railroad.

So when the society runs its model trains and the Allentown & Auburn Railroad runs its Santa Trains, both are working from the same piece of town history. The society's museum, filled with photographs and artifacts from the Kutztown area and Pennsylvania Dutch culture, holds the record of that history.

November belongs to the HO layout

The schoolhouse at 212 South Whiteoak Street hosts three dates this month. Each one is free, because the society says there is never a charge for its programs or museum tours.

• Sunday, Nov. 1, 1 to 4 p.m.: The museum is open, and the HO trains run from 1 to 3 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 14, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: The annual Holiday Festival.
• Sunday, Nov. 22, 1 to 4 p.m.: The museum is open again, with trains running from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Holiday Festival is the one to circle. The society calls it "a Kutztown tradition that kicks off the holiday season." The building is decorated for Christmas, artists and craftspeople sell their work, and there's a home-cooked meal. The train display runs "to its fullest," and the day includes a quilt raffle plus a raffle of items donated by vendors and the community. There is no admission fee.

The two Sunday open houses are quieter, and they bracket the festival on either side. The Nov. 1 date fits families who want to see the trains before the festival crowd arrives. The Nov. 22 date falls on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, which makes it an easy outing if relatives come in early. The society notes that all its dates and times are weather permitting, so check its events page the morning of.

Thanksgiving weekend, the full-size trains take over

The Saturday after Thanksgiving is Nov. 28, and that's when the Allentown & Auburn Railroad starts its holiday runs from Kutztown Station at 232 Railroad St. It offers two kinds of trips, and they serve different evenings at home.

The Santa Trains run in daylight on weekends, with four departures each day, so they fit around naps and a parade of relatives. The Hot Chocolate Trains run once a night, at 7 p.m., and the story reading back at the station makes them the closer for a full day. Most of their dates are Fridays and Saturdays.

Before you buy, know that the two trip types have different cancellation terms. The railroad applies a 10% cancellation fee to refunds. Standard rides like the Santa Trains need 48 hours' notice, while specialty rides like the Hot Chocolate Trains need seven days. Tickets can also be moved to another date or event within a year of the original trip if seats are available, and you pay the difference if the new event costs more. To change a booking, call the station at (570) 778-7531.

Dec. 5: the Belsnickel and Santa on the same Saturday

This is where the season peaks. On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University holds Christmas on the Farm at the historic Sharadin Farmstead, 22 Luckenbill Road, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Heritage Center's calendar lists visits from the Belsnickel, live music in the barnyard, traditional crafts, folklife demonstrations, hearth cooking, farm animals, and children's activities. Admission is free.

That same day, Santa Trains leave Kutztown Station at all four departure times, and a Hot Chocolate Train leaves at 7 p.m. No other date this season puts the Pennsylvania German Christmas figure and the Santa trains on the same calendar square. If you want both, here's one way to order the day:

1. Morning: Take the 10 a.m. Santa Train while the little ones are fresh.
2. Late morning into afternoon: Head to the Sharadin Farmstead once the gates open at 11 for the Belsnickel, the barnyard music, and the hearth cooking.
3. Midafternoon: If you skipped the morning train, leave the farm in time for the 2 p.m. Santa Train, or plan an early exit for the 4 p.m. departure, since the farm runs until 4.
4. Evening: Wrap up with the 7 p.m. Hot Chocolate Train and The Night Before Christmas back at the station.

Not every family needs every stop. Christmas on the Farm is free, so you could spend the whole day at the farmstead and save the train for another weekend, since Santa Trains keep running through Dec. 20.

The Heritage Center has a second November program that's a little different. Its Pennsylvania Germans in the Revolution Conference runs Nov. 13 and 14 and looks at how Pennsylvania Germans shaped, and were shaped by, the founding of the United States. Unlike the farm events, it requires registration and offers a Zoom option. The center says the full schedule will be posted shortly, and you can reach it at [email protected]. The conference begins the day before the Holiday Festival, so history-minded neighbors could spend that whole Friday and Saturday on Pennsylvania German heritage.

Breakfast on West Main before any of it

An early start goes better with breakfast. Selena's Diner at 242 W. Main St. reopened on Feb. 5, 2026, in the former Letterman's Diner space. Selena White, who had worked there before, took ownership in early January, the Reading Eagle reported. In February, the paper listed hours of Tuesday through Sunday, 6 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., so call ahead to confirm before planning around them. If those hours still hold, the diner works for Holiday Festival morning, the Saturday Santa Trains, and Dec. 5 before the farm opens. The menu the paper photographed includes the South Side Philly Omelette, made with steak, onion, sweet peppers, and Cooper cheese.

Downtown's piece of the calendar

Main Street has hosted its own holiday day in past years. In 2024, the Kutztown Community Partnership promoted Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30, with shopping around town and Santa at the Strand Theatre, according to the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance. Small Business Saturday falls on Nov. 28 this year, the same day the Santa Trains and the first Hot Chocolate Train start running. For any 2026 downtown plans, check the Kutztown Community Partnership.

The last Santa Train of the season leaves Kutztown Station on Sunday, Dec. 20.

If you're mapping out your own Kutztown holidays and want to compare notes on a favorite Belsnickel story, or on which Santa Train departure works best with little ones, I'd love to hear from you. Reach out to Ashley Marshall and Let's Connect.