Friday, October 16 in Nazareth and Easton: Crayola After Dark tonight, the October 17 super-Saturday, and a Witches’ Walk week ahead

Tonight: Crayola After Dark, football at Liberty, and a full State

The adults' night is here. 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. It is a one-night event, so tonight is the only shot at it this season.

Two blocks away, the State Theatre has comedian Bobby Collins at 7:30 p.m. on Northampton Street, while 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 last week's 23-21 loss to Northampton. In Nazareth, Friday is picture makeup day for district students, a small housekeeping item on the school calendar.

The Easton Book Festival closes this weekend

The 8th Annual Easton Book Festival is in its final three days, running through Sunday, October 18 with roughly 140 participating authors across panels, open mics, story-times, and author expos around downtown. Tonight at Wicked Brew, a 5:00 p.m. conversation with The Atlantic's David Graham leads into a 7:00 p.m. open mic. Saturday adds an open mic at Centre Square at 6:00 p.m. and a "Meet Mark Twain" living-history program at 8:00 p.m. Sunday closes the festival with Local Author Tables at the Easton Farmers Market from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and the Small Press Vendor Expo at the Sigal Museum on Northampton Street, noon to 4:00 p.m. If you like your October bookish, this is the weekend to spend an afternoon downtown.

Saturday the 17th: the parade, the festival, and Apple Jam

Saturday, October 17 stacks the season's biggest day in both towns, and the 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 on South Main Street between Belvidere and Walnut from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., 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 the last day of its Superheroes Week, and the city hosts a Citywide Clean-Up in parks and on streets from 10:00 a.m. to noon for anyone who wants to lend a hand before the festival crowds arrive.

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.

Sunday the 18th: Oktoberfest on the river and Latin Fest

Sunday brings something new to the riverfront: Easton Oktoberfest fills Scott Park from noon to 8:00 p.m., a celebration of autumn and community with music, food, and vendors on the banks of the Delaware, the 2026 edition presented by the producers behind Easton's summer festival circuit. It shares the day with a rescheduled Latin Fest (Festival Latino) at the Bravo Supermarkets parking lot, moved to the 18th from earlier in the month because of rain, and an Easton Vintage Market on the weekend calendar. Meanwhile the Book Festival's Small Press Vendor Expo closes out the week at the Sigal Museum, noon to 4:00 p.m., so downtown Easton can hold a bookish afternoon, a bratwurst-and-music evening, and a Latin music festival in one day.

The week ahead: municipal meetings, the Bath parade, and a Witches' Walk weekend

Monday, October 19 opens a busy week of boards. Palmer Township Supervisors meet at 7:00 p.m. at 3 Weller Place on the first-and-third-Monday round, Lower Nazareth Township's Planning Commission sits at 6:30 p.m., Forks Township holds a 2027 budget workshop, and Easton's Zoning Hearing Board meets, all on the same evening. Tuesday, October 20 adds the Easton Police Pension Board and the Northampton County Election Commission, and at 7:00 p.m. the nearby borough of Bath holds its annual Halloween Parade, a straight shot up Route 512 from Nazareth. The Easton Area School Board holds its regular meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the Easton Area Education Center on Bushkill Drive, with the agenda in the district's BoardDocs portal.

Wednesday, October 21, Upper Nazareth Township Supervisors meet at 7:00 p.m. at 100 Newport Avenue on the first-and-third-Wednesday round, and the Palmer Stormwater Authority sits at 5:00 p.m. Then comes the Halloween stretch. The 2nd Annual Witches' Walk takes downtown Easton Friday, October 23 from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Centre Square and Saturday, October 24 at Scott Park, a free, family-friendly walking festival with artisan and food vendors, trick-or-treating, face painting, live music, a costume contest, and fire spinning. Friday night is also a home football night in Nazareth, where the Blue Eagles host Northampton at Leh Stadium at 7:00 p.m., while the Red Rovers head to Bethlehem Freedom. The 4th Annual Knauss Homestead Harvest Festival runs Saturday, October 24 from noon to 4:00 p.m. in Emmaus with 50-plus craft and vendor booths, food, kids' activities, and tours of the 1777 farmhouse, and Easton adds a Market After Hours night market on the 24th. And Sunday, October 25, the 44th Annual Phillipsburg-Easton Halloween Parade steps off at 3:00 p.m., crossing the Free Bridge from Phillipsburg into Easton and ending at Centre Square, with a Chick-fil-A Lower Nazareth Trunk or Treat at noon the same day.

School notes: chorus auditions, Unity Day, and a facilities forum

In the Nazareth Area School District, Nazareth Area High School hosts PMEA District 10 Chorus Auditions Monday through Wednesday, October 19-21, with the Monday session running 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.; Tuesday brings picture make-up and retakes at the intermediate school; and Wednesday, October 21 is Unity Day, the district's annual anti-bullying observance, when students wear orange. The regular school board meeting is Tuesday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the Walter Fry Room at the high school, with agendas on the Keystone Agenda platform, and the superintendent hosts a Community Forum on long-range facilities planning Thursday, October 29 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The athletics calendar keeps moving toward the October 23 home game against Northampton, the final home Friday of the regular season, and the rivalry finale at Easton on October 30.

In the Easton Area School District, the elementary parent conference window continues through the month, the board meets Tuesday, October 20, and the Red Rovers' regular season winds down with road games at Liberty this Friday and Freedom next Friday before hosting Nazareth on October 30. District officials also reminded fans this month to follow the new Friday-night football procedures at Cottingham Stadium after a spike in arrests earlier in the season, so arrive early and know the bag rules.

Vote by November 3: registration closes Monday

The November 3 general election is 18 days out, and the next deadline is close. The voter registration deadline is this 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, and 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 county is also recruiting registered voters to serve as judges of election, with vacancies listed in Lower Nazareth and Upper Nazareth among the dozen open posts for Election Day, and the county's press releases and elections office remain the authoritative list for drop-off locations and hours.

Things to do: Crayola, Martin Guitar, and the harvest stops

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. Superheroes Week runs through Sunday with DC/Marvel Comics artist Scott Hanna, and 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 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, closing the month on October 31 with Pumpkins & Pooches and its dog costume contest.

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., and closes the month Friday, October 30 with Songwriters in the Round, a ticketed concert from 7:00 to 8:30 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, 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, and the Moravian Historical Society leads costumed Spooky Nazareth walking tours on select October weekends. Up the valley, Seiple Farms in Bath keeps its 2026 autumn season going through November 1 with hayrides to a 35-acre pumpkin patch and a 20-acre corn maze, while Raub's Farm Market on Tatamy Road in Easton sells pumpkins, mums, and corn stalks alongside its maze.

Where to eat and local news

Forks Restaurant Week closes Saturday the 17th, so the prix-fixe excuse is good through tomorrow across its nine businesses, including La Perla Tapatia, The GOAT Pub and Pie, Sunny Side Up, SURV on Sullivan Trail, Tony's Pizza, Uncle Louie G, and Widow's Tavern in Stockertown. On the horizon in the food scene, Dave's Hot Chicken is targeting a Nazareth Crossing opening in the former SaladWorks space on the Easton-Nazareth Highway in Lower Nazareth, and a husband-and-wife Italian restaurant called La Piazza Italia has announced it will take over a longtime pizzeria space in the Forks Towne Center.

The regulars carry every other meal. 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.

Around the roads and townships, the Route 33 bridge replacement over Bushkill Creek between Tatamy and Stockertown continues with lane restrictions and delays, so budget a few extra minutes for the corridor, and construction is underway on a new three-story apartment building at 373 East Lawn Road in Upper Nazareth on the former Ranch House Bar and Grill site. Easton's West Ward also welcomed Salaam Bros, a new halal restaurant at 1300 Northampton Street, with a grand opening earlier this month.

On the horizon

Circle these dates: Crayola After Dark, Bobby Collins, and Easton football at Liberty tonight; 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 citywide cleanup, the comic book inker session at Crayola, Nazareth football at Bethlehem Catholic, and The Rocket Man Show; Easton Oktoberfest, Latin Fest, and the Book Festival finale on Sunday the 18th; the voter registration deadline and a full municipal round on Monday the 19th; the Bath Halloween Parade, the Easton school board, and the county Election Commission on the 20th; Upper Nazareth Supervisors, Palmer Stormwater, and Unity Day on the 21st; The Bronx Wanderers at the State Theatre on the 22nd; the Witches' Walk and Nazareth's home game against Northampton on the 23rd and 24th; the Knauss Homestead Harvest Festival and Market After Hours on the 24th; and the Phillipsburg-Easton Halloween Parade on the 25th. Then the rivalry finale is Nazareth at Easton on Friday the 30th at Cottingham, the Nazareth Center for the Arts closes October with Songwriters in the Round the same night, Halloween morning brings the Martin Guitar grand-prize drawing, the final Nazareth market of the season, and Pumpkins & Pooches at Scott Park, and 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.