PP&L, Inc. will help the Lehigh Valley get into the holiday spirit Thursday (11/18) by continuing a local holiday tradition: lighted decorative figures on the side of its headquarters building in downtown Allentown.

The decorations will make their initial 1999 appearance during a ceremony sponsored by the Allentown Downtown Improvement District Authority. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. at Center Square, 7th and Hamilton streets, two blocks from the PP&L building at 9th Street.

PP&L's annual holiday display features a tree design on the east side of the building and a candle design on the west side. A combination of colored fluorescent light tubes and window shades are used to create the designs.

Both the tree and candle take up 12 stories of PP&L's 23-story headquarters building and are visible for miles throughout the Lehigh Valley.

"The decorations are a holiday tradition," said Kathryn Frazier, PP&L community development director. "PP&L is pleased to contribute to the region's sense of identity and its holiday spirit."

The PP&L building has been a Lehigh Valley landmark since 1928. The holiday display first appeared in the 1950s and continued until the early 1970s, when the practice was suspended because of the energy crisis. PP&L resumed the display in 1990, using energy-efficient fluorescent lighting.