Around the Valley
Tuesday, October 13 in Nazareth and Easton: board night and a budget workshop tonight, the final Restaurant Week push, and the October 17 super-Saturday
This is the Tuesday, October 13 roundup for Nazareth, Easton, and the townships in between, checked this morning against live district, municipal, and venue calendars. Tonight stacks the Nazareth Area School District's Committee of the Whole at 6:00 p.m. against Forks Township's 2027 budget workshop at 5:30, and the rest of the week builds toward the October 17 super-Saturday: the Nazareth Halloween Parade at 1:00 p.m., the Fall Festival at 2:00, Apple Jam at Scott Park, and the Blue Eagles at Bethlehem Catholic that night. Election season also moves into its decisive stretch, with the voter registration deadline on October 19 and the mail-in ballot application deadline on October 27.
Tonight: the school board and the budget workshop
The Nazareth Area School District board runs its Committee of the Whole tonight at 6:00 p.m. in the Walter Fry Room, with the agenda on the Keystone Agenda platform and Zoom links posted ahead; the next regular board meeting follows on Tuesday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. The athletics calendar keeps the middle schools busy this afternoon, with field hockey hosting Northampton and volleyball hosting Raub at 4:00, and the varsity field hockey team hosts Easton at 6:30 p.m. (JV at 5:00), both field hockey games free to attend. Over in Easton, the Easton Area School District is in its elementary parent conference week for October, and the next regular board meeting is Tuesday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Easton Area Education Center, with the agenda in the district's BoardDocs portal.
At the same hour, Forks Township runs its 2027 Budget Workshop from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at 1606 Sullivan Trail, the first of the season's budget sessions, and the Supervisors' regular meeting Thursday at 7:00 p.m. continues the discussion. Budget season is officially open across the Valley.
The week just played: six straight for Nazareth, a first since 2008 for Northampton
Friday's results redrew the EPC North picture. The Nazareth Blue Eagles beat Bethlehem Liberty 43-17 at Leh Stadium to run their winning streak to six and improve to 6-1, and the Morning Call's October 12 power rankings note that Nazareth, like top-ranked Parkland, will be tested down the stretch. The Easton Red Rovers, meanwhile, fell 23-21 to Northampton at Cottingham, the Konkrete Kids' first win over Easton since 2008, dropping Easton to 3-4. Both teams hit the road this week: Easton at Bethlehem Liberty on Friday and Nazareth at Bethlehem Catholic on Saturday.
One infrastructure note for the townships east of town: PennDOT has pushed the next phase of the Route 33 bridge replacement over Bushkill Creek between Tatamy and Stockertown back about a month because paving the crossover lanes took longer than expected, so the current traffic pattern holds a while longer. Worth knowing if Route 33 is part of your commute.
Vote by November 3: three dates to know
The November 3 general election is 21 days out, and Northampton County's machinery is rolling. The voter registration deadline is Monday, October 19, and mail-in and absentee ballot applications must be received by the county election office by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27. In-person ballot-on-demand voting continues at the Elections Office on the lower level of the Government Center at 669 Washington Street in Easton, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to noon, through October 27. Ten secure drop boxes have been accepting ballots since October 5, including the Northampton County 911 Center at 100 Gracedale Avenue in Nazareth, open 24/7 until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
The headline local race remains the 137th District, where Republican Representative Joseph Emrick, a former Upper Nazareth Township supervisor, faces Democrat Jeffrey Warren, a race that covers Nazareth, Tatamy, Lower Nazareth and Upper Nazareth townships, and parts of Palmer Township. The county's press releases and elections office remain the authoritative list for drop-off locations and hours.
Wednesday: Lower Nazareth and Easton City Council
Two governing bodies sit Wednesday evening. Lower Nazareth Township Supervisors meet at 7:00 p.m. at 623 Municipal Drive on the second-and-fourth-Wednesday round, with agendas posted on the township's agendas and minutes page. Easton City Council meets at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers on the third floor of City Hall at 123 South 3rd Street, live-streamed on the city's site, with the agenda published in the Agenda Center closer to the meeting. And the Nazareth Center for the Arts hosts its monthly Open Mic Night from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at 30 East Belvidere Street, sign-in at 6:30, BYOB, on the second Wednesday of the month.
The municipal calendar: who meets when this week
Beyond tonight and Wednesday, the rest of the municipal week is light. Forks Township Supervisors hold their regular meeting Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 p.m. at 1606 Sullivan Trail, continuing the budget discussion. Nazareth Borough Council is off this week and next sits Monday, November 2 at 6:00 p.m. Upper Nazareth Township Supervisors meet on the first and third Wednesdays, so their next sitting is Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 p.m. Bushkill Township's supervisors met on October 1 and the planning commission meets Monday, October 26. Palmer Township Supervisors meet on the first and third Mondays at 7:00 p.m. at 3 Weller Place, so their next sitting is Monday, October 19. And Stockertown Borough Council meets Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at Borough Hall, with the borough's calendar page the authoritative list of October dates.
Thursday: the final West Ward Market of the season
The West Ward Market plays its final Thursday of the year on October 15 at the Community Garden at 10th and Pine Streets in Easton, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., so that evening window is the last chance to catch the garden market until next season. It is a small, neighborly market and worth the visit before it closes up for the winter.
Friday the 16th: Crayola After Dark and a road football night
The adults' night lands Friday, October 16. Crayola After Dark: Halloween Edition runs 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at 30 Centre Square, a 21+ evening with Halloween-inspired creativity, a live DJ, cocktails and bites, and a costume contest; early-bird tickets are $39.99 plus tax, space is limited, and a valid photo ID is required at the door. The State Theatre has comedian Bobby Collins at 7:30 p.m. the same night, and the Easton Public Market runs its Friday Acoustic Kitchen series from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., presented by Fitzpatrick, Lentz & Bubba and Martin Guitar.
On the field, the Easton Red Rovers play their second straight road game, at Bethlehem Liberty at 7:00 p.m., looking to bounce back from the Northampton loss. In Nazareth, Friday is picture makeup day for district students, a small housekeeping item on the school calendar.
Saturday the 17th: the parade, the festival, and Apple Jam
Saturday, October 17 stacks the season's biggest day in both towns, and the forecast-friendly plan is a full one. The Nazareth Halloween Parade, presented by Vigilance Hose Co. #1, steps off at 1:00 p.m. from Belvidere and Liberty Streets, proceeds west on Belvidere to Main, north to the circle, then east on East Center Street, ending at Nazareth Senior High School. Cash prizes go out in individual, small group, and large group categories, and hot dogs and soda are provided for participants at the high school; the parade runs rain or shine with no rain date. The Nazareth Fall Festival, presented by the Nazareth Area Chamber of Commerce, follows at 2:00 p.m. on South Main Street between Belvidere and Walnut, with 40-plus craft and artisan vendors, food trucks, live music, and downtown shops open for browsing.
In Easton, Apple Jam fills Scott Park from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the market's annual apple celebration with 20-plus apple and pear varieties for sampling, apple pie, caramel apples, cider donuts, fresh-pressed cider, an apple pie eating contest, and live music on the park stage. The Crayola Experience adds a "Draw with a Comic Book Inker" session from 10:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. during its Superheroes Week, and the Easton branch of the AAUW marks its centennial with a celebration at Lafayette's Pfenning Alumni Center at 1:00 p.m.
Night falls on the football field and the stage: the Nazareth Blue Eagles play a rare Saturday game at Bethlehem Catholic at 7:00 p.m., and The Rocket Man Show takes the State Theatre stage at 7:30 p.m. It is also the final day of Forks Restaurant Week, so a parade-and-festival day can end with a prix-fixe dinner in Forks before the promotion closes.
Forks Restaurant Week: five days left
The inaugural Forks Township Restaurant Week opened Sunday, October 11 and runs through Saturday, October 17, organized by the Forks Business Association with the Easton Area Chamber of Commerce. Nine businesses are offering prix-fixe menus and promotions: La Perla Tapatia, Leaf Restaurant Lounge & Cigar Bar at 90 Mort Drive, The GOAT Pub & Pie, Sunny Side Up, SURV on Sullivan Trail, Tony's Pizza, Uncle Louie G, Widow's Tavern in Stockertown, and Zekraft. Five days remain, so it is a good week to eat your way up and down Route 248 before the promotion closes.
Things to do: Crayola, Martin Guitar, and the haunted walks
The Crayola Experience runs Screamin' Green Hauntoween through November 1, included with general admission at 30 Centre Square: weekend trick-or-treating stations, themed crafts, scavenger hunts, and photo ops, plus the Creepy Critter Visit with Arachno-Showbia. Superheroes Week runs through October 18 with DC/Marvel Comics artist Scott Hanna making appearances. Fall hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays, 10:00 to 6:00 Saturday, and 10:00 to 5:00 Sunday, with general admission at $30.99.
At C.F. Martin & Co. on Sycamore Street in Nazareth, the free museum, the 1833 Shop, and the Pickin' Parlor stay open weekdays, and the guided one-hour factory tour runs Monday through Friday with departures between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., small groups only, booked in advance on the tour scheduler. The Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation's raffle draws again on Halloween morning, October 31, at the Nazareth Farmers Market at 2 South Main Street, the third drawing day on the way to the grand prize. The Nazareth Farmers Market keeps its every-Saturday run on the circle at Main and Center Streets, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., through October 31, and the Easton Farmers Market continues every Saturday at Scott Park on Larry Holmes Drive, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., through December 19.
The Nazareth Center for the Arts keeps the HAUNTED gallery exhibit on the walls through the end of October, open Fridays 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Sundays 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. The Eerie Easton Walking Tours keep their weekend evening runs from the Sigal Museum at 342 Northampton Street, $20 per person with registration through Eventbrite, and Olde Stone Farm's Harvest Nights at 1350 Raubsville Road in Williams Township runs Fridays and Saturdays 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. through October 31, with the flashlight corn maze, moonlight hayrides, fire pits, and pumpkin patch at a $10 entry.
Where to eat this week
Restaurant Week is the excuse, but the regulars are the reason. In Nazareth, the Nazareth Diner on South Broad Street covers breakfast any hour, Birthright Brewing Company at 57 South Main pours its own beer with a full menu, Pizza Joe's at 550 South Main is the dependable Italian stop, and Sicily Pizza and Los Compadres on East Lawn Road round out the quick-dinner end. Downtown Easton keeps its own rotation: Billy's Downtown Diner on South 3rd Street for the classic breakfast, 3rd & Ferry Fish Market for seafood on the corner by the square, Thyme Rooftop Grille on Northampton Street for a view of the circle, ThreeBirds Coffee House for the coffee end of the street, and the Easton Public Market two blocks in when the square is shoulder-to-shoulder. In Forks and Stockertown, SURV is worth the short drive for its scratch kitchen and wood-fired pizza, and Widow's Tavern in Stockertown is on the Restaurant Week list, so this is the week to try both.
On the horizon
Circle these dates: the school board and Forks budget workshop tonight; Lower Nazareth Supervisors, Easton City Council, and the Nazareth Center for the Arts Open Mic on Wednesday; the final West Ward Market and Forks Supervisors on Thursday; Crayola After Dark, Bobby Collins, and Easton football at Liberty on Friday the 16th; and the October 17 super-Saturday with the parade at 1:00 p.m., the Fall Festival at 2:00, Apple Jam at Scott Park, the comic book inker session at Crayola, Nazareth football at Bethlehem Catholic, and The Rocket Man Show. Then the Witches' Walk takes downtown Easton on Friday the 23rd and Saturday the 24th, the Phillipsburg-Easton Halloween Parade crosses the Delaware on Sunday the 25th at 3:00 p.m., the rivalry finale is Nazareth at Easton on Friday the 30th at Cottingham, Songwriters in the Round closes October at the Nazareth Center for the Arts, and Halloween morning brings the Martin Guitar grand-prize drawing and the final Nazareth market of the season. The State Theatre keeps its month moving with The Bronx Wanderers on October 22, Cinderella by the United European Ballet Company on October 23, a Phil Collins tribute on October 24, the WDIY Hollywood Squares fundraiser on October 27, and Haunted Illusions on October 31. Beyond the month, PA Bacon Fest celebrates its 15th anniversary November 7 and 8. For anything dated, the Easton city events page, Downtown Nazareth's listings, and the Easton Main Street Initiative stay more current than any single post can, so give them a glance before you head out the door.