Reading Eagle                   Saturday, December 15, 2001                 Page 1

By Lily Henning
 Eagle/Times

In the small borough of Lyons, Santa doesn't shimmy down chimneys or arrive secretly at night with tiny reindeer.

No, the jolly old elf tools down Main Street on a flatbed truck and stops to knock on each front door.

Santa, who many residents say looks a lot like Lyons Mayor Randy A. Schlegel, has been making house calls to all 200 homes in the northeastern Berks County borough for 18 years.

With Christmas carols blaring from loudspeakers and the help of a brigade of 10 elves, Schlegel, 49, will make the rounds again on Sunday.

Schlegel, who has been mayor for eight years and is manager at the Lyons sewage treatment plant, arrives at each home bearing fruit, candy and children's books.

This year he'll also give out commemorative pins for the borough's 75th anniversary in 2002.

The small gifts are paid for with proceeds from the annual Fall Fiddle Festival, a bluegrass music event in September.

In addition, residents who want to spread holiday cheer to their neighbors and family can drop off gifts today at borough hall on Kemp Street. Santa will gladly deliver them Sunday.

Lyons Councilman Merlin A. Oswald and his wife, Barbara M., always give Santa some of their grandchildren's presents to deliver. Even though the grandchildren are 11, 12 and 14, they still enjoy Santa's visits.

“It's a very happy day,” Barbara Oswald said. “We make a day of it. The whole family comes over and waits for him.”

Santa tries to make his visits short, and hopefully, sweet.

This hurried schedule is partly to ensure there's enough time to visit all borough homes between noon and about 10 p.m., but it's also a defense against children who might be a little too eager to debunk the Santa myth.

“If Santa is around too long, kids start studying things and figuring it out,” Schlegel said.

But this Santa often throws kids for a loop, because unlike most shopping-mall Santas, he knows most youngsters by name.

Schlegel recalled visiting a young boy who was a little too educated for his own good. But as soon as Santa called him by name, there was a change.

“He didn't want to take any chances after that,” Schlegel said. “He very politely asked to show (Santa) his Christmas tree.”

Chalk another win up for the Lyons Santa, who is an avid defender of authenticity.

“I try to keep the fantasy alive for the kids,” Schlegel said.

From the round prescription glasses he dons only to play Santa to the black boots on his feet, Schlegel is scrupulous about maintaining his image.

“We do stuff up as well as we can,” he said. “We even try to make sure Santa isn't wearing a watch because time is of no essence for him.”

He admits that the fake beard and big red suit sometimes get a little itchy, but for Schlegel, the discomfort doesn't diminish the reward of greeting the borough's 504 residents in a personal way.

“Lyons is a close-knit community, and I will try to do anything I can to keep it that way and to make it more so,” he said.

The Santa visits will continue, Schlegel added, until he has a white beard of his own.

“As long as they sell gasoline and red paint (for the float), I'll be doing this,” he said.