Around the Valley
The week of September 15-20 in Nazareth and Easton: East ON Fest, home football for Nazareth, and a State Theatre run
This is the week the Lehigh Valley has been building toward since school opened: East ON Fest turns downtown Easton into an outdoor gallery of light and projection Friday and Saturday night, the Nazareth Blue Eagles play their second home Friday of the season at Leh Stadium, and the State Theatre, the Crayola Experience, and both farmers markets share the same stretched-out September weekend. Here is what is happening across Nazareth, Easton, and the surrounding townships from now through Sunday the 20th, checked against live sources, plus what to circle for the weeks after.
East ON Fest: Friday and Saturday night in the circle
The headliner of the week is East ON Fest, the Lehigh Valley's projection-mapping and light-art festival, which returns Friday, September 18 and Saturday, September 19, running about 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. each night. It is free and spread on foot across Centre Square and the surrounding civic spaces, with architectural projection mapping, light installations, and interactive pieces that turn downtown Easton into a walkable gallery after dark. Bring comfortable shoes and plan to wander: the festival's two-night format rewards a second pass on Saturday, when the crowds thin out a little.
The same weekend, Forks Community Days fills Forks Community Park at 500 Zucksville Road with its craft-and-family festival: Friday 5:00 to 10:00 p.m., Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. If you want one outing that covers both, make Saturday the day trip up to Forks and the evening downtown at the festival.
Football: Nazareth home Friday, Easton on the road Saturday
The Nazareth Area Blue Eagles play their second home game of September on Friday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m. at Andrew S. Leh Stadium, hosting Bethlehem Freedom. The Blue Eagles are home again the following Friday, September 25 against Emmaus, so this is the start of a two-week home stand. Across the river, the Easton Area Red Rovers play a Saturday game this week, traveling to Bethlehem Catholic on September 19 at 7:00 p.m.; they come home to Cottingham Stadium on Friday, September 25 to host Allentown Central Catholic. If you follow one team in person and the other on the radio, this is the week to do it.
A Saturday of markets, both towns, same hours
Saturday, September 19 is a double-market day. The Nazareth Farmers Market runs 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Circle at Main and Center Streets, a producer-only market of 20-plus vendors with music most weeks. The Easton Farmers Market, billed as the nation's oldest continuous open-air market, holds its regular Saturday run at the same hours at Scott Park on the riverfront. With apples, mums, and late tomatoes at their peak, both markets are full this time of year.
A week later, the Easton market hosts one of its signature events: the 17th annual Hot Pepper Showdown on Saturday, September 26, the Ten Deadly Peppers heat-eating contest at Scott Park during market hours. It is loud, a little theatrical, and one of the most fun free spectacles of the season if you like watching people voluntarily eat superhots.
Crayola: PURPLE ends, Hauntoween begins
The Crayola Experience at 30 Centre Square finishes its Color Days run with PURPLE through Friday, September 18, then flips into the spooky season: Screamin' Green Hauntoween kicks off Saturday, September 19 and runs through November 1, adding themed scavenger hunts, crafts, and trick-or-treat stations to the four floors of hands-on color. Hours around the transition are roughly 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturdays, and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sundays, but the visitor hours page is the source of truth before you go. It is the most dependable all-weather stop in the circle.
The State Theatre's big week
If live performance is your thing, the State Theatre on Northampton Street stacks four shows next week, the heaviest stretch of its September calendar: Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band on Thursday, September 24 at 7:30 p.m., comedian Brian Regan on Friday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m., Martina McBride on Saturday, September 26 at 7:30 p.m., and Three Dog Night closing the run Sunday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m. The week after brings Pat Metheny (Wednesday, September 30) and violinist Itzhak Perlman (Thursday, October 1). Tickets move for the biggest names, so check the State Theatre site before the weekend.
Over at Lafayette College, the Williams Center for the Arts hosts Actors From The London Stage in Much Ado About Nothing on Saturday, September 26 at 8:00 p.m., and the college's third annual Fall Arts Festival opens October 1 with the immersive theater piece Nevermore and stretches through the weekend with music, film, and installations along the Karl Stirner Arts Trail. Downtown Easton is rarely quiet in late September.
School district notes
Two meetings matter this week. Tonight, Tuesday, September 15, the Easton Area School District holds its standing committee meetings, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Easton Area Education Center, 1801 Bushkill Drive, the public committee round ahead of the regular board meeting on Tuesday, September 29 at 7:00 p.m. at the same building. In Nazareth, the Nazareth Area School Board holds its regular voting meeting on its fourth-Tuesday round, Tuesday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the district offices at One Education Plaza; agendas post ahead of time on the district site. Easton students also have the Monday, September 28 teacher in-service day off, so the last full week of class runs this week.
Municipal meetings for residents
Here is the public-meeting calendar for the next two weeks across the boroughs and townships. Rooms and times shift in the fall, so each one is worth a final check on the municipality's own website before you go.
- Upper Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors meets Wednesday, September 16 at 7:00 p.m., the first of the 1st-and-3rd-Wednesday round; the next session is October 7.
- Forks Township Board of Supervisors holds its regular meeting Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m.; October brings a work session on the 1st and a regular meeting on the 15th.
- Palmer Township Board of Supervisors meets Monday, September 21 at 7:00 p.m., with the October session on Monday, October 5.
- Lower Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors follows the 2nd-and-4th-Wednesday round at 7:00 p.m. at 623 Municipal Drive, so look to Wednesday, September 23 and October 14.
- Nazareth Borough Council holds its workshop Thursday, September 24 at 6:00 p.m., with the business meeting Monday, October 5 in Borough Hall at 159 West Center Street.
- Bushkill Township Board of Supervisors meets Thursday, October 1 at 6:00 p.m. on its first-Thursday round; the Planning Commission sits Monday, September 28 at 7:30 p.m.
- Stockertown Borough has not published its late-September council dates in public listings, so call the borough office to confirm before heading over.
Easton City Council's regular meeting falls Wednesday, September 23 at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at 123 South 3rd Street, with committee meetings the night before; the meetings stream online. Agendas for all of these bodies post in advance on their websites.
Guitar town, mid-week
The C.F. Martin & Co. visitor center at 510 Sycamore Street in Nazareth keeps its weekday rhythm through the fall: open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the free museum and the 1833 Shop open to visitors and the guided factory tours on weekdays by advance online reservation. Groups are small, roughly eight people per tour, so a mid-week morning is the easiest to book. No special visitor-center events are on the September calendar, which makes the standard tour the dependable pick. Confirm tour availability on the visitor page before you plan the trip.
Good places to eat this week
In Nazareth, Nazareth Diner on South Broad Street remains the reliable standby, Bella Bean Coffee Shop handles the morning stop, and the restaurant-and-bowling hall The Farm & Table on South Main Street is worth a look for an easy night out. Los Compadres on East Lawn Road does the Mexican end of the Nazareth dining scene, and Birthright Brewing Company on South Main pours its own beer a block off the circle.
In downtown Easton around the festival nights: 3rd & Ferry Fish Market on South 3rd Street is a strong seafood pick near the circle, Thyme Rooftop Grille on Northampton Street gives you the view, Tierra De Fuego on Northampton Street covers the Latin kitchen, and Billy's Downtown Diner on South 3rd handles diner food at any hour. The Easton Public Market at 325 Northampton Street stays the easiest indoor option, open Wednesday through Saturday with Sunday hours too, and closed Monday and Tuesday; the Highmark Farmstand inside carries produce most days the market is open.
On the horizon
Three October dates to circle now. The Easton Garlic Fest takes over Centre Square Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., free and rain or shine. The Nazareth Fall Festival returns to South Main Street on Saturday, October 17 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., the borough's annual street festival with crafts, food, and family activities. And the 15th anniversary PA Bacon Fest runs Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8 at Centre Square, one of the biggest food weekends of the year in the city, so book early if it is on your list.
For everything this week, the Easton city events page and each township site stay more current than any single post can. Enjoy the weekend: the light shows, the market runs, and two towns' worth of Friday and Saturday plans.