A photograph taken in 2019 of the honorary plaque in Central Square, Millersburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, for Ralph “Koppy” Koppenhaver (1906-1991) who served as Millersburg’s “official” Santa Claus for 41 years, 1944-1985.
Before he reached 41 years of service, he was interviewed by Garry Lenton, for an article in the Sunday Pennsylvanian, which was published on December 21, 1980:
‘Kuppy,’ A Santa, 75, Is Going for 40 Years
MILLERSBURG — Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And when he’s not at the North Pole working with the elves, he’s hanging out in this quiet upper Dauphin County town overseeing a job that is highly regarded here — stringing the Christmas lights around town square.
His real name is Ralph Koppenhaver, but to generations of children who grew up in this town of 3,000, he is the famed Christmas elf and always will be.
Koppenhaver has become something of a living legend by being in one place every Christmas Eve for the past 36 years, beneath the decorated pine tree that stands in the middle of the town square. And this Christmas Eve will be no different.
Sometime before 7 o’clock, Koppenhaver will take the Santa suit his wife made for him “out of real material” out of moth balls — the third one since he started the routine back in 1943 — and make his way downtown where he will pass out candy treats to about 350 children. Many of those will be brought by parents who sat on Koppenhaver’s lap with lists of Christmas presents 30 years ago.
On the surface, the 75-year-old Koppenhaver who is known to his friends as “Kuppy,” is gruff, and not one to be bothered by reporters asking questions. But, with a little urging from friends, the aging Santa agreed to talk about his years in the red suit.
Christmas in town used to be a big event, he said, recalling a time when a brass quartet from the Millersburg Town Band would play for streets crowded with children and adults. The civic organizations in town, particularly the Farmer’s Fair Association, would take the responsibility for these holiday celebrations. But, as Koppenhaver says, nothing lasts forever. Eventually, the Farmer’s Fair Association dissolved, and though other groups like the Jaycees tried to keep it going, it didn’t last.
The Millersburg Band broke up, taking along with it the brass quarter and other special events paid for an organized by the civic groups failed to appear. But Koppenhaver remained, dressed in his red suit, hat and beard.
“We had all kinds of goings-on then,” he says, recalling his start as Santa in the 1940s. “We used to have the brass quartet… the businessmen would play records and a minister would come over and recite a little something, you know. But, that all dried up.”
For the past 10 years, Koppenhaver has been a one-man tradition in the town. He is 75 now, and even though his is nettled by asthma, he has no plans to slow down.
Instead, he put his foot up on a large wooden spool used to store the Christmas lights that decorate the borough’s streets, rested his elbow on the bent knee and chomped down on a smoldering cigar.
“I’m still interested in helping to get this stuff together,” he said.
For weeks leading into the Christmas season he can be found working out of the borough’s garage, getting out the Christmas decorations, the wires, the lights, checking the bulbs and the fixtures, cleaning them, repairing them.
He knows most of the people in town, and at Christmas hides behind the beard and watches the faces of their children.
By the same token, he knows that not everything the youngsters ask for will be under the tree come morning. So, he is careful not to make promises.
“You can’t tell a child a lie, you know,” he said. “You can’t tell a little fella he’s going to get a bicycle. You tell him if he’s good, and there’s enough left, he might just get something.”
He always thinks of the children, and the importance of them keeping the traditions alive. The parents of the children, many of whom sat in his lap when they were believers, contribute in their own way. Many, when their children are sick, ask Koppenhaver to stop by the house for a special visit. They set gifts outside for him to bring into the house.
Through the years, he has been a champion of the town’s Christmas spirit. And, the is proud of this year’s addition to the Christmas scene, an extension of the town’s Christmas decorations provided by the Millersburg Lions Club.
As he walked through the square with a visitor recently, he pointed to the work that had been done, and, like a craftsman, lamented over a section of wire where the lights had been stolen. But, he soon shrugs and continues walking till he stops in front of a large blue spruce.
“This is where I stand on Christmas Eve,” he said looking up at the tree. “This is where I stood every year.
Christmas 1980 will be number 37 for him. And, though friends report that every year he says it will be his last, he says he has never wanted to quit. But he knowns he can’t go on forever, so he has set his sights on 1983.
“I’m going to go for 40 years,” he said. “If the Lord is willing.”
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Article found on a public tree on Ancestry.com.
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