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Monday, January 03, 1994     Page: 4A QUICK WORDS: SPREADING CHEER IS
YEARLONG GIG FOR LOOK-ALIKE SANTA

Spreading cheer is yearlong gig for look-alike Santa
   
With an 8-inch beard,
    he’s Santa’s spitting imageBut this local Kris Kringle says he’s got the
Christmas spirit all year long.
   
By JENNIFER LEARN
   
Times Leader Hazleton Bureau
   
HAZLETON — Adam Katchur says growing a beard changed his life.
   
“I love my beard. I wouldn’t shave it for a million dollars,” vowed the
78-year-old Santa Claus look-alike.
   
Katchur, of Beaver Meadows, grew the beard on a whim 11 years ago. Three to
four years later, passers-by started calling him Santa Claus and Kris Kringle.
   
Now, 8 inches later, the beard has become his trademark and a symbol of his
jovial outlook on life.
   
“Santa Claus has a beard, and he’s jolly. I’m like him because I try to
enjoy every day and make other people happy,” Katchur said. “It must work. I
feel like I’m 40. I never get sick, and I eat what I want to.”
   
People of all ages are attracted to Katchur and his beard, especially
during the holidays.
   
Shy children approach him with their Christmas wishes. The braver ones tug
it to make sure it’s real. Motorists wave and honk their horns when they pass
Katchur.
   
Two weeks ago, a woman stopped Katchur on Laurel Street to touch and admire
his beard.
   
The former salesman keeps his beard as soft and curly as possible with
daily washes and combs, weekly shampoos and occasional trims.
   
“Some men have stringy beards, but mine is so nice,” he said.
   
He also dyes the beard to keep it white.
   
Yet, some find it unattractive.
   
“There are quite a few people — especially women — who just hate beards,”
Katchur said.
   
Although Katchur occasionally dresses in a borrowed red Santa suit for a
social function, he prefers walking the streets in a dark suit and top hat.
   
Katchur, who has four children, eight grandchildren and a great-grandson,
eats up the attention his beard draws during frequent bus trips into downtown
Hazleton.
   
Skeptical children quiz him on why he is in Hazleton instead of the North
Pole.
   
“I’m checking on you kids to make sure you’re good,” he tells them.
   
Others wonder why he isn’t accompanied by Rudolph and demand to know the
names of his other reindeer.
   
“It’s great when kids run up to me. I had no idea a beard could make such a
difference in my life,” Katchur said.