Peace Candle
The Peace Candle has undergone several changes and variations over the last 58 years. The current candle was built in 1990, and is expected to last until about 2014, after which time Easton officials expect to build a new one. As of 2009, the central main candle stands , and the base brings it to about . It reaches a height of about above ground level when factoring the monument it rests atop. When the candle is assembled, several by 8-foot by box pieces are placed around the Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument, a Civil War memorial in Centre Square, the town square of Easton's Downtown neighborhood. Made from marine-grade plywood and galvanized steel, the box pieces are stacked vertically until the structure is assembled, and then bolted together using about 500 bolts inside the Peace Candle. The flame placed atop the candle is about high and illuminated with 31 bulbs. The entire structure weighs between eight and 10 tons. The main candle is surrounded by four, high side candles, and a fountain that surrounds the Peace Candle's base is filled with a ring of Christmas trees.
Peace Candle
The new candle sustained some minor damage over its first few years. On November 20, 1970, heavy rain and inclement weather snapped a wire helping keep the structure in place, and firefighters had to install additional braces the next day. Also that year, about 75 lights were stolen from the decorative Christmas trees set up around the candle's base. In 1971, the building where the Peace Candle was stored was broken into and the fiberglass paneling was vandalized. Easton officials declined to discuss the extent of the damage, but Henry Schultz dismissed the vandals as "kids". In 1974, the Peace Candle was only lit a few hours a night, and not at all on some nights, due to an ongoing energy crisis, which prompted the Metropolitan Edison Company to ask its Easton area customers not to use Christmas lights that year. Since the Peace Candle was seldom lit, charitable donations dropped in 1974, resulting in an $800 defect for the Easton Area Christmas Committee. Additionally the committee spent $1,700 in Peace Candle Christmas cards meant to bring in donations, but only 500 packs were sold at $1 each. The use of less electricity to light the Peace Candle did not help the committee because the city paid the lighting bill.