“This is the town of Falls City, Nebraska, my home town. I went to Falls City the summer of 1946, and made a lot of sketches and photos of the street from all angles, tops of building, out of windows, etc. I then came back to my then Bucks County, Pa. Studio, worked out my viewpoint, and set the mood as a Christmas scene. From then on the picture painted itself as my imagination went to work and I painted both sides of the street and then some…
“I knew every brick in the pavement, and the store fronts were very personal friends, so when I painted this scene it was a labor of love, and fondest recollection.”
— John P. Falter
Falter Fans,
Season’s greetings from all of us at the John Philip Falter Museum. We wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and best wishes as we roll into 2022 and give you a quick update on our year-that-was…
• There’s a very good chance that many of you are familiar with the painting at the top of today’s newsletter, as it is one of Falter’s most iconic productions. This past week that illustration celebrated a notable anniversary — Tuesday the 21st marked the 75th anniversary of “Christmas Week in Falls City,” which was published on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post on December 21, 1946. Tuesday’s Falls City Journal recognized the milestone with a wonderful front page story. Definitely worth picking up a copy if you haven’t seen it. Thank you to Nikki and Brian McKim for their work on that!
• 2021 marked another successful year for our humble little museum. In May, we celebrated our sixth anniversary and we could not have done that without the support of YOU—our generous, curious and loyal Falter Fans. Thank you, all!
➤ After a difficult 2020, we bounced back with a wonderful 2021. Regular summer hours returned and we were fortunate to welcome nearly 250 visitors. More positive proof that the word is steadily spreading about our famous illustrator is found in a few notable benchmarks we reached online over the past year:
• Website traffic increased by nearly 40 percent from 2020
• Our Facebook Page topped 1,000 Likes
• Surpassed 200 followers on Instagram
• Reached the 500-subscriber mark on our Falter Fans email list.
➤ We would like to recognize our amazing group of volunteer docents—Cindy Bangert, Gail Froeschl, Brenda Garriott, Liz Huettner, Denise Kurpgeweit, Barb Kelly and Glenda Nelson—as they are the glue of the team. Always available or willing to step up and fill in to make sure interested folks are able to visit the museum, sometimes with very little notice. Thank you, ladies!
In closing, as we criss-cross the country visiting family and friends, let’s remember to channel some of that Christmas spirit by looking out for one another and being considerate of our fellow travelers. We are all in this together, so travel safely, wits in tow!
From all of us at the museum, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Cheers!
