From left, Solimar Chung, Aubrie Briody, Kylie Ackerman and Joney Jones are working on a painting project for PEEPSFEST.

SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa. — Every December, the folks at Just Born Quality Confections host PEEPSFEST® at SteelStacks to welcome the new year. Instead of a midnight ball drop à la Times Square, the family-friendly Bethlehem bash features a 5:35 p.m. PEEPS® chick drop, followed by a dazzling fireworks display.

The 4-foot, 9-inch, 400-pound chick is enormous and stored in a comparably sized wooden container. At the suggestion of James Rutt, Just Born tapped students from Lehigh Career & Technical Institute’s Painting & Design program to spruce up the storage container. Rutt is a logistics manager for the Bethlehem-based candy manufacturer and serves on LCTI’s Safety Occupational Advisory Committee.

Led by program teacher Keith Lyons, LCTI seniors Kylie Ackerman, Aubrie Briody, Solimar Chung and Joney Jones teamed up to create a design for the container. Now they’re bringing it to life with paint donated by Sherwin-Williams.

The Just Born-approved design features a sunset sky, silhouettes of Bethlehem Steel’s old blast furnaces and, of course, PEEPS® chicks. Chung, 17, of Louis E. Dieruff High School, and Briody, a 17-year-old from Whitehall High School, explained that each element of the design is intended to evoke time, place, or mood. Fireworks, a disco ball and PEEPS® bunnies will be in the mix, as well, said Jones, a 16-year-old from William Allen High School.

Ackerman, 17, of Northwestern Lehigh High School, said they began work on the project midway through September and have a Nov. 1 deadline for completion. She and the other girls are working diligently and expect to finish in plenty of time.

Lyons said the project is an excellent opportunity for his students to bring their skills from the classroom to the real world. He’s excited to see the final product and the PEEPS chick drop on New Year’s Eve.