A Jim Thorpe area man is keeping his friend’s memory alive by bringing a little Christmas magic to kids ahead of the holiday.

Recently, Chip Burnett visited the Lehigh Valley Children’s Center in Coaldale, dressed as a conductor, to welcome the children on board to a “Polar Express” movie event.

Burnett picked up where the late Bill “Bump” Solomon left off with serving as the “Polar Express” conductor at schools, punching tickets and handing out Christmas bells to all those who “believe.” Solomon passed away on March 20, 2023, at the age of 72.

“It’s something Bill started years ago and when he passed away, Jamie (Bill’s wife) asked if I would pick up where Bump left off,” Burnett said. “I came up last year and everything went well. I really enjoyed it. The kids enjoy it and now we’re back again this year. We’re trying to keep Bump’s memory alive.”

Burnett said that the smiles on the children’s faces as he punches their tickets for entry, as well as the handmade Christmas bells he passes out make this worth continuing.

“The kids are just thrilled. They got big smiles on their faces, which is what Christmas is all about,” he said.

Solomon started visiting schools annually and serving as the Polar Express conductor in 2009 after his daughter’s friend rode the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway Santa train. At the time, Solomon was working on the railroad as a car host, conductor, narrator and ticket agent and would give out bells to children who mentioned the movie, which came out in 2004.

Burnett also works as a part-time car host on Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, like Solomon did for several years, and gives these bells out to people who look like they need smile while riding on the Jim Thorpe area passenger train, much like his friend did.

“Sometimes people aren’t smiling or have a sad face so I give them a bell and their face lights up. It’s amazing.

“You see somebody sitting there by themselves and you ask ‘How are you doing? Are you here by yourself?’ and sometimes you heard something like I lost my husband or I lost my wife and we had planned to take a train ride so I decided to still go. Giving them a bell just helps sometimes.”

Bill’s widow Jamie was also visiting with Burnett during the Polar Express event and was thankful for keeping her husband’s memory alive.

“I thank Chip for doing this because it is a wonderful thing,” she said. “What he does keeps Bill’s memory alive. It means so much to me.”

“It means a lot to me as well,” Burnett said. “Bump was my best friend. He was an amazing person. He loved everybody and everybody loved him.

“He taught me a lot about people. He taught me how to treat people even better than I thought I knew how to treat people. He is greatly missed.”