On Saturday, December 3, Santa Claus will leave his sleigh at the North Pole and come to town early on a train! Six local communities will celebrate Christmas in a Small Town when Santa and his friends arrive aboard a special train provided by Steamtown National Historic Site.

Now in its 20th year, the Christmas in a Small Town celebration, also known as the Santa Train, is a project of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area. The event draws large crowds of excited families to restored train stations throughout the Lackawanna Heritage Valley. It has become a tradition and a day to celebrate the heritage of Northeastern Pennsylvania! The Santa Train will arrive at local train stations at the following times:

• 10:30 a.m. – Carbondale Train Station, River Street, Carbondale
• 11:35 a.m. – Archbald Train Station, Pike Street, Archbald
• 12:20 p.m. –  Jessup Train Station, Church Street, Jessup
• 1 p.m. – Queen City Train Station, Lackawanna Avenue, Olyphant
• 1:45 p.m. – Dickson City Train Station, Boulevard Avenue, Dickson City
• 3 p.m. – Steamtown National Historic Site, Scranton

Families are encouraged to assemble at the train station in each community to welcome Santa as the train pulls into town. At each stop, Santa and his friends will greet all of the children, hearing their lists for special Christmas wishes. After visiting with Santa, families can enjoy refreshments, live entertainment and special activities. The Valley View Marching Band will perform at the Archbald and Jessup train stations, greeting Santa with holiday music and entertaining the crowd. The Santa Train and its crew will be available for photo opportunities at each station. All activities are free. Train rides for the public are not available at this event.

Christmas in a Small Town is sponsored by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area in partnership with Steamtown National Historic Site, the Delaware Lackawanna Railroad, Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority, with special thanks to the City of Carbondale, the Carbondale Business Association, Archbald Borough, Jessup Borough, Jessup 21^st Century, Olyphant Borough, Dickson City Borough, the City of Scranton, the Lackawanna Historical Society, the Anthracite Heritage Museum, the Lackawanna County Council on Arts and Culture, Propst Transportation, Community Bank NA, and Peoples Security Bank and Trust.