BETHLEHEM, PA, November 2019 – Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) and Lehigh Valley With Love Podcast are partnering up for the podcast’s 100th episode. On Friday, December 13, hosts George Wacker and Tyler Rothrock will host a live taping of the podcast at the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts as part of Design After Dark, HBMS’s after-hours programming series. The podcast will feature local collector and philanthropist Ilene Hochberg Wood as the guest.
Launched in February 2018, the Lehigh Valley With Love Podcast discusses goings-on in the Lehigh Valley. George and Tyler speak with local movers and shakers from all walks of life, from music teachers and trivia hosts to local celebrities. They recently completed their first season as a television show on PBS39. Lehigh Valley With Love also operates a media company and a successful blog.
Ilene Hochberg Wood picked up her love of purses at a young age. After graduating from Cornell University with a BS in Design and Environmental Analysis she began a career in retail merchandising, working with several well-known department stores. She is an international best-selling author of several pet parody books, including DOGUE. Her handbag collection, believed to be the largest private collection in the United States, numbers over 3000 and includes everything from thrift store needlepoint bags to rare vintage and designer purses.
Guests are welcome to view PURSEonality: A Stylish Handbag History before and after the podcast taping. Local nano brewery Cave Brewing Company will be onsite with a few different beers available for purchase. Non-alcoholic beverages and light refreshments will also be available.
Doors for the event will open at 5:30pm, with the podcast taping beginning at 6:00pm. Tickets are $5 for future Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites members, free for current members. The Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts is located at 427 N. New Street. All proceeds from this event help Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites to maintain 20 historic landmarks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites is a not-for-profit institution that brings to life three centuries of American history. Historic Bethlehem tells the story of a small town of great influence, home to some of our nation’s earliest settlers, to America’s first municipal water pumping system, and to one of the world’s greatest industrial companies. Historic Bethlehem is located in eastern Pennsylvania, only a 1.5 hour drive from Philadelphia to the North and 2 hours west of New York City. Historic Bethlehem is an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, a National Historic Landmark District, and a designation to the US Tentative List.