Around the Valley
September in Nazareth and Easton: the month ahead
Earlier roundup · September 4, 2026 | This month-ahead preview is now mostly past. For the current week, read the September 11 weekend roundup and the mid-September edition.
September has a way of snapping the Lehigh Valley back into motion. The school buses are running again in both the Nazareth Area and Easton Area school districts, the farmers markets are in full swing through the color change, and the calendars in Nazareth, the surrounding townships, and downtown Easton fill up fast. Here is what is happening across the area this month, gathered and checked against live sources, so you can plan your weekends without digging through a dozen websites.
Back to school, and Friday night lights
Both school districts are officially underway. The Nazareth Area School District's first day was Monday, August 31, while the Easton Area School District brought students back in a staggered start: August 31 for kindergarten, sixth, and ninth graders, then Tuesday, September 1 for everyone. Easton students also have the Monday, September 28 teacher in-service day off. With the rhythm of the year set, Friday night football is the anchor of the month.
The Nazareth Area Blue Eagles play at home at Andrew S. Leh Stadium at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 11 against Allentown Central Catholic, Friday, September 18 against Freedom, and Friday, September 25 against Emmaus. The Easton Area Red Rovers host Pennsbury tonight, September 4, then Parkland on September 11 and Allentown Central Catholic on September 25, all at 7:00 p.m. If you want to catch a game in person, the September 11 pairing (Nazareth at home and Easton at home on the same night) gives you your pick.
Nazareth Farmers Market, every Saturday
The Nazareth Farmers Market runs every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., May through October, at the Circle where Main and Center Streets meet in Nazareth Borough. In September that means markets on the 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th, with 20-plus local vendors selling produce, baked goods, meats, flowers, and crafts, plus live music most weeks. It is the easiest, most dependable way to spend a Saturday morning in the borough.
A guitar-town day trip: C.F. Martin & Co.
Nazareth is the home of C.F. Martin & Company, the guitar maker, and its visitor center at 510 Sycamore Street is a genuine local highlight. The center is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is closed on Labor Day, September 7. The Martin Guitar Museum is free and displays a collection of rare and vintage instruments. Guided factory tours run on weekdays with advance online registration, and the tour fee supports the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation. The 1833 Shop carries Martin apparel and collectibles, and the Pickin' Parlor lets you pick up and play the guitars on the wall. It is an easy, interesting hour or two right in the middle of Nazareth.
Downtown Easton and the Centre Square circle
Easton's own Easton Farmers Market, billed as the nation's oldest continuous open-air market, runs Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Scott Park along the river. September dates are the 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th, and September 5 includes the special Funky Ferments Fest, a celebration of fermented foods. Just around the corner, the Easton Public Market at 325 Northampton Street is an indoor food hall open most days, with noodle shops, pizza, cheese, pastries, and a farmstand under one roof.
The Centre Square circle and surrounding downtown host a steady stream of evening events. Easton Out Loud, the Fourth Friday celebration, returns Friday, September 25 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. with shops, galleries, live music, and sidewalk activity. The East ON Festival, a light, art, and technology event with projection mapping, takes over downtown September 18 and 19 in the evenings. And Live at the Falls keeps its Thursday-evening outdoor concert series going at Scott Park through the end of the month. A night out in Easton usually means a walk past the circle, a stop in the public market, and music by the river.
Crayola Experience
The Crayola Experience at 30 Centre Square in Easton is a reliable pick for families, with four floors and more than two dozen hands-on activities, from the crayon factory show to Drip Art and Melt and Mold. September brings themed programming: Color Days, Purple runs September 12 through 18, the Screamin' Green Hauntoween season begins September 19 and runs into early November, and there is a Creepy Critter Visit on Saturday, September 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Check the visitor hours before you go, since the summer daily schedule shifts after Labor Day.
Good places to eat
In Nazareth, the long-running Nazareth Diner on South Broad Street is a dependable local standby, Birthright Brewing Company pours its own beer at 57 South Main Street, Bella Bean Coffee Shop is the neighborhood café, and Paradise Dogs handles the casual end of things. On the Nazareth-to-Easton border, Diner 248 on Nazareth Road is a Lehigh Valley institution. Downtown Easton offers Weyerbacher Easton Taproom, Thyme Rooftop Grille on Northampton Street, Billy's Downtown Diner, and ThreeBirds Coffee House on Bushkill Street, alongside the many vendors of the Easton Public Market.
Municipal meeting dates for residents
If you follow local government, these are the recurring public meetings scheduled for September in the boroughs and townships around the property. Times and rooms are worth confirming on each municipality's own website, since holiday weeks can shift a date.
- Easton City Council meets Wednesday, September 9 and September 23 at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at 123 South 3rd Street, with committee meetings the preceding Tuesday, September 8 and September 22.
- Upper Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors meets Wednesday, September 2 and September 16 at 7:00 p.m.
- Lower Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors meets Wednesday, September 9 and September 23 at 7:00 p.m.
- Bushkill Township Board of Supervisors meets Thursday, September 3 at 6:00 p.m.
- Forks Township Board of Supervisors meets Thursday, September 3 and September 17 at 7:00 p.m.
- Nazareth Borough Council business meetings fall on the first Monday at 6:00 p.m., but September 7 is Labor Day, so confirm whether this month's meeting moved. The borough holds separate workshop meetings too.
- Palmer Township Board of Supervisors meets on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m.; check the municipal site for this month's exact dates.
- Stockertown Borough has not published its September council dates in public listings, so call the borough office at (610) 759-8393 to confirm. Its Planning Commission meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m.
Agendas for most of these bodies are posted in advance on each municipality's website, and Easton City Council meetings are streamed online.
On the horizon
One date worth circling now: the PA Bacon Fest, the 15th anniversary edition, is set for Saturday, November 7 at Centre Square in Easton. It is one of the biggest and most crowded weekends of the year in the city, so it pays to plan ahead. For now, September's Saturdays belong to the markets and the month's nights to football and music in the square.