Fun Facts and Trivia

Lehigh Valley Originals

• Allen Organs
• Crayola Crayons
• Mack Trucks
• Marshmallow Peeps
• Martin Guitars
• Mike & Ike's

Famous Lehigh Valleyans

• Mario Andretti, former professional race car driver.
• Michael Andretti, professional racing team owner, former professional race car driver.
• Chuck Bednarik, former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles.
• Stephen Vincent Benét, author.
• H.D., writer.
• Charlie Dent, member of Congress.
• Jonathan Frakes, actor.
• Peter Gruner, professional wrestler.
• Larry Holmes, former boxing heavyweight champion.
• Lee Iacocca, former chairman, Chrysler Corporation.
• Keith Jarrett, musician.
• Michael Johns, health care executive, former White House speechwriter.
• Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock"), actor, former professional wrestler.
• Steve Kimock, rock musician.
• John Kline, member of Congress.
• Carson Kressley, fashion consultant, Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
• Matt Millen, former professional football player, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins, current President, Detroit Lions.
• Lara Jill Miller, actress.
• Andre Reed, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills.
• Daniel Roebuck, actor.
• Amanda Seyfried, actress, model.
• Dana Snyder, voice actor.
• Christine Taylor, actress, wife of actor Ben Stiller.
• Jonathan Taylor Thomas, actor.
• Boris Vallejo, artist.
• Lauren Weisberger, author, The Devil Wears Prada.

Lehigh Valley in popular music

• "Allentown", by Billy Joel (appears on The Nylon Curtain) (1982).
• "Speedway at Nazareth", by Mark Knopfler (appears on Sailing to Philadelphia) (2000).
• "The Weight", by The Band (appears on Music from Big Pink) (1968).

Did you Know?

Allentown

• With approximately 105,000 residents, Allentown is Pennsylvania's third largest city, behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
• Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force is so tall that it could easily fit the Statue of Liberty under its peak
• When laid out, the tracks of Dorney Park's eight roller coasters equal more than 3 miles.
• Allentown has more acres of parkland than any other American city its size.
• In 1777 the Liberty Bell, so the British army would not melt it down for munitions, was hidden in Allentown.
• The Allentown Band is America's oldest city band and performs over 50 free concerts each year.

Bethlehem

• Bethlehem, known as Christmas City U.S.A., was given its name on Christmas Eve 1741.
• The Moravian Book Shop, located in Historic Bethlehem, is the oldest existing book shop in the world, founded in 1745.
• Bethlehem has more existing 18th-century buildings than Williamsburg, VA.
• Both George and Martha Washington once slept at Bethlehem's 1785 Sun Inn (at different times)..
• Bethlehem's Musikfest is considered the largest music festival in the country, with over 1,000 musical performers and an annual attendance of over 1 million.
• Moravians in Bethlehem completed the first known Waterworks system providing drinking and wash water in the American colonies (1754).
• The Philadelphia Eagles have held their NFL training camp at Bethlehem's Lehigh University for the past four years.

Easton

• Binney & Smith, maker of Crayola products, produces nearly 3 billion crayons each year, an average of twelve million daily. That's enough to circle the globe 6 times.
• In the last 97 years over 100 billion Crayola crayons have been made.
  Crayola products are sold in more than 60 countries and are packaged in 11 languages.
• On July 8, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read aloud in Easton's Centre Square. The only other towns that can say the same are Trenton, NJ and Philadelphia.
• Former Heavyweight boxing champ Larry Holmes grew up, trained and lives in Easton.

Around Town

• Martin Guitar uses four primary woods in each production of its guitars: spruce, East Indian rosewood, mahogany and ebony.
• Rodale Institute Experimental Farm, a pioneer in organic farming, uses alternative methods to chemicals in their farming. One method encourages using bats and bluebirds as natural weapons against pesky insects.
• Blue Mountain Ski & Recreation Area touts the largest vertical drop in Pennsylvania (1,082 feet).
• The Lehigh Valley has played host to the PGA Nike Tour Lehigh Valley Open, The U.S. Senior Open and welcomes the annual LPGA Betsy King Classic.
• The Lehigh Valley is home to 11 colleges and universities.
• Clothing is sold tax-free in Pennsylvania.
• The Lehigh River, which connects the Lehigh Valley's three main cities, spans 120 miles and is crossed by 16 bridges in the Lehigh Valley alone.