2025 Events
Introducing "Talks in the Tavern" Series
Hellertown Historical Society is proud to offer new events focused on the colonial history of our country. With next year’s approaching Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary since declaring our independence from England, we are offering events that correspond to this theme. These events have been renamed “Talks in the Tavern” replacing the original “Speaker Series” name. Plan to join us for these quaint, friendly, and informative presentations and interactions with local historians about our country’s colonial past in the comfort of our historic 1760’s Tavern in the lower level of the Heller-Wagner Grist Mill. All of these events will include complimentary light refreshments. The first such event is listed below. Be sure to visit this page often as new events in this series are scheduled and posted.
Additional "Talks in the Tavern" Events...
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From our partners at Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites...
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Next Entry in the Talks in the Tavern Series -
"What Women Wore 1760-1780"
Thursday, October 16 - 7PM (Doors Open @ 6:30PM)
Living historian Robin Marchionni describes the traditional clothing fashions of women in the colonial period 1760-1780.
The event is held in the Historical Society’s Tavern venue located in the lower level of the historic Heller-Wagner Grist Mill building at 170 West Walnut Street, Hellertown PA 18055. Free off-street parking is available adjacent to the west side of the building and across Walnut Street near the Saucon Rail Trail access. Complimentary light refreshments will be offered.
Historical Society members are admitted free, non-members are encouraged to join the Society or offer a donation to help cover costs. Seating is limited and first come, first served.
HHS "Special Event"
Our Colonial Tavern Meal will Consist of...
Starters
Assorted Cheeses, Mustard Dips, Pickles, Pickled Vegetables, Pickled Eggs, Ham Salad Puff, Potato Onion Apple Squares, Nuts, Dried Fruits and Assorted Crackers
Main Dinner
Chicken Casserole Topped with Biscuits, Roasted Ham Thinly Sliced with Rosemary and Natural Juices, Roasted Yellow Potatoes, Greens with Side of Hot-Bacon Dressing, Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Brown Sugar, Assorted Bread Basket with Sweet Potato Biscuits, Date Nut Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Served with Homemade Butter and Whipped Cream Cheese.
Desserts
Small Apple Crumb Pies, Small Pumpkin Pies, Small Sour Cherry Tarts.
Assorted Beverages
Ale and Hard Cider, Various Wines
Hellertown Historical Society thanks the following for their generous support:
Catering by Saylors and Company, Hellertown
Ales/Hard Cide by Lost Tavern Brewing, Hellertown
Various Wines by Black River Farm Winery, Lower Saucon Township
This Event is Sold Out! Thank You!
Stock Out
Special Events
Colonial Tavern Night
Hellertown Historical Society Special Film Presentation
"The Fries Rebellion"
Hellertown Historical Society is offering a special screening of the critically acclaimed short film about the 1798–1799 tax revolt in Northampton, Bucks, and Montgomery counties. Macungie’s Jason Searock, who portrays John Fries in the film, will be in attendance to introduce the story.
Tuesday, October 28 7PM (Doors Open 6:30PM)
The event is held in the Historical Society’s Tavern venue located in the lower level of the historic Heller-Wagner Grist Mill building at 170 West Walnut Street, Hellertown PA 18055. Free off-street parking is available adjacent to the west side of the building and across Walnut Street near the Saucon Rail Trail access. Complimentary light refreshments will be offered.
Tickets and Attendance...
We expect this event to be very popular and with limited seating for 50 persons, we will control attendance by the use of tickets. There is no cost to obtain tickets, however, you must have a ticket in order to attend.
Tickets may be obtained by stopping at our office during business hours. 150 West Walnut Street, Hellertown PA 18055 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:30AM-12 Noon. Or, you may call our office at 610-838-1770 to order tickets for pick up or we can mail them to you.
If persons are unable to attend or if there is enough interest in future screenings, we will schedule them to accommodate all interested persons.
“Macungie Township in the late 1790s was a hotbed of patriotic protest. Local farmers and others joined together to voice strident opposition to the way they perceived the new nation was going under President John Adams’s administration and rebelled against a new federal tax. Named after its leader, John Fries (pronounced “freeze”), the Fries Rebellion made waves at the highest levels of the new government.”
The Fries Rebellion
After moving back to Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, Kayla, a teenage schoolgirl, struggles with a local history report until her Uncle Steve, an area history professor, drives her around to the places influential in the Fries Rebellion. Through immersive visions of the 1798-99 tax revolt, Kayla experiences the protest against the Federalist government’s first Federal House Tax led by patriotic Pennsylvania-German veterans of the American Revolution first hand and uncovers something important about herself along the way.
REVIEW – ‘The Fries Rebellion’, directed by Dan Hertzog, is an educational short that bridges past and present through the eyes of Kayla (Nancy Kimball), a high schooler who reluctantly returns to Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and must complete a school project on the areas history. Little does she know, this mundane task will pull her deep into history – quite literally.
Guided by her uncle Steve (Jon Reinhold), a local history professor, Kayla begins learning about the Fries Rebellion of 1798-99, a lesser-known protest against the Federalist government’s house tax. The film, written by Sarajane Williams, cleverly shifts between Kayla’s modern-day life and vivid flashbacks to the past, allowing the audience to experience her supernatural visions as she’s transported to a world centuries before.
‘The Fries Rebellion’ pulls you in because of is high-end craftsmanship. The cinematography is sharp and rich, effortlessly moving between the present and the past, with costumes and production design that feel authentic to the era. There’s a haunting quality in the way these historical moments unfold – both visually and emotionally. Hertzog’s direction captures a surreal atmosphere as Kayla becomes more intertwined with the history, even as her family’s own roots in the area are revealed.
The supernatural aspect – Kayla’s ability to witness history firsthand – adds a layer of intrigue to the educational narrative. As she tours local taverns and historic sites with Steve, her growing connection to the past and its characters becomes more profound, hinting at something far deeper than just a school project.
This is an immersive journey through time, with stellar performances that ground the fantastical elements in real emotion. If you’re into drama with a twist of the paranormal, ‘The Fries Rebellion’ delivers both knowledge and suspense in a well-crafted, memorable package. Highly recommended.
Click the image below to view The Fries Rebellion Trailer...
- Distribution funding generously provided by Northampton County, Lehigh County and Lower Macungie Township.
- All images appearing here courtesy of Lower Macungie Townshp Historical Society and “The Fries Rebellion” producers.
- Hellertown Historical Society generously thanks LMTHS for their generous support for thhis event.
HHS "Special Event"
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Special Events