The fact that it happens every year in no way takes away one iota of the wonder and amazement at the sea of bluebells every April in Lock Ridge Park in Alburtis. "The bluebells have been there since the late 1960s and were intially just in the locust tree patch," says Kevin Shoemaker, president of the Alburtis Lockridge Historical Society. "As a young boy, I knew the family—the Matz family—that lived on the property where the bluebells are. I remember them very well, but it was a much smaller patch. Every year they grow larger and larger!! I enjoy going down every year to see how far they …
Friday night's snow gave way to a beautiful sugar-coated Saturday in Macungie. Check out Jasper, the Macungie mascot that stands guard outside the Macungie Institute. He looks a little more Casper than Jasper coated in snow. Add your snow photos to the ones accompanying this article. To do so, click the green words above this article that say Upload Photos and Videos and follow the simple prompts. (If you don't have a Patch account, it's free and easy to create one.) Sunday will be sunny with a high of 34 degrees but freezing rain may begin after 1 a.m. The National Weather Service said the …
Simply put, they were car-stoppers. A major gaggle of unapologetic snow geese kept coming and coming and coming late Thursday afternoon to create quite a spectacle in a Lower Macungie Township field. It was like the scene out of Hitchcock's "The Birds," only more controlled and totally uninterested -- fortunately -- in attacking humans. Cars alone were the victims of the sheer number of geese. Area car washes will benefit. Many probably heard and then could see a sizable flock overhead in the Trexlertown area. Anyone who cared to further investigate or continued home in the area of Mill Creek…
With most people not working on Saturday, the snowfall that we woke to provided most of us with something to watch on a lazy morning into the afternoon. The snow was light to begin with, but by late morning picked up in intensity and had dropped about 2 inches into the early afternoon. Accumulation is expected to be 3 to 5 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Snow is expected to taper off this evening. Although some outerlying areas were reporting accidents, mostly on secondary roads, none was reported in the Macungie, Lower Macungie or Alburtis areas by 2 p.m.
It's harvest time in the East. Pass any cornfield within the Lower Macungie Patch and it is either leveled and picked clean or the standing brown stalks are waiting to be cut and harvested. Would his crop be knee high by the Fourth of July? If so, would the rest of the summer's weather bring a healthy yield? Or, would the conclusion be that this year was too dry, too wet or too hot? Those questions have all been answered for Dan Hunsicker of Hilltop Road in Lower Macungie Township. For Dan, who says he is one of two farmers who work the majority of the fields in Lower Macungie, this was a …
It's that time of year again. Just after the harvest of the cornfield at Willow and Sauerkraut lanes in Lower Macungie Township, flocks of Canada geese descend on the acreage to pick it clean of the kernels left behind. The birds spend hours uncovering the treasures between the rows of cut corn stalks. They feast before flying South for the winter.
Summer officially will be with us for nearly another month. But the Labor Day Weekend is often thought of as the unofficial end of the season. With kids back to school and the leaves about to change color, we thought we would take a look back at some of the things that made this summer memorable around the Lower Macungie Patch. You have seen many of these photos during the summer -- with a few thrown in from summerlike activities held just weeks before. A few other photos were taken, but have not been seen. We hope you will enjoy with fondness our memories of the summer of 2012. As always, …
Cars, cars, cars! Car collectors from across the US gathered at Macungie Memorial Park over the weekend for the 49th annual Das Awkscht Fescht. The various autos came not just from different corners of the country, but from several decades as well, with vehicles from many different points in history. The featured car for this year's Das Awkscht Fescht was the Crosley, with an entire tent dedicated to different Crosley cars and appliances, including the Crosley motorcycle on display, one of ony five made. Kudos to the staff and volunteers for another fine festival!
The mild winter brought early tree blossoms to the Lower Macungie Patch and the region this year, making for a spectacular start to spring. The area was able to avoid a frost, which some years cuts short the spectacular color display of nature. Instead, residents have been treated these past few weeks to a picturesque start to a new growing season.
The Lock Ridge Furnace iron works in Alburtis will be among historic sites across Lehigh County open to the public from noon to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 3 as the county celebrates its 200th anniversary. A guide from the Lehigh County Historical Society will be on hand to give free tours. The furnace property is now a park - much different from the hot, dirty and smelly industrial venue where 85 men toiled for 12-hour shifts. Alburtis boomed while the furnaces burned, adding a silk mill and shirt factory that employed the wives and daughters of iron workers during the late 1800s and early …
Special to Emmaus Patch and Lower Macungie Patch by Susan Pfeil, CEO/Academic Director at Seven Generations Charter School The Seven Generations school community is used to working hard to meet challenges and to solving problems in a creative way. That’s what happened during two weeks in late December when the school was faced with a mold problem in our facility. We closed for three days while additional testing was conducted, but results indicated the need for remediation that would continue through another school week. To ensure that our academic program would continue uninterrupted, …
From the Macungie Institute to Kalmbach Park to Macungie Memorial Park to businesses along Main Street, Saturday brought holiday spirit and cheer as Macungie held a borough-wide celebration of the season. Amid the events, entertainment and shopping experiences, Santa himself made several appearances throughout the day. Catch the holiday spirit as you click through our gallery.
Alburtis celebrated both the spirit of the season and the spirit of its community with all-day Holiday activities last Sunday. The day started with breakfast with Santa at the Alburtis Area Community Center, where guests could eat, get their pictures taken with the jolly man in red, and enjoy some holiday shopping at several merchant tables. Little ones made arts and crafts at a table run by D&D Heating and Cooling. Other activites throughout the day included a Pet Parade and Costume Contest, Historic Surrey Rides throughout Alburtis, a dinner and tree lighting ceremony.
More than 1,200 people from 21 different states participated in the 2011 Turkey Trot in Bethlehem on Saturday. Mark Jobes from Bethlehem was the first overall male finisher with a time of 17:00.3. Brianna Faust of Macungie finished first overall for the women with a time of 19:03.9.
From community spirits to ghastly ghouls, the Macungie Halloween Parade held Oct. 22 featured delights for all. Winding through Macungie, the parade brought smiles and gasps to the faces of young and old alike. Browse through the pictures and join in the festive fun!
Macungie's Boy Scout Troop 71, active since 1928, held its latest Court of Honor on Sept. 20 in Macungie Memorial Park. During these special ceremonies scouts receive the merit badges and ranks they have earned throughout the year. Among the 28 scouts in the troop, 15 earned ranks, including: Tenderfoot: Alex Thomulka, Damon Smigielski, and Vignesh Senggutuvan. Second Class: Jack Miller First Class: Dylan Martin Star: Ryan Bilger and Douglas Jackson Life: Chad Cole. In addition, the scouts received 73 merit badges and two World Conservation Awards.
Cars lined up around the Lower Macungie Township Building on Sept. 17 for Macungie's Document Shredding & Electronic Recycling Day. The event, sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank in Macungie, was designed not only to help the community recycle discarded papers, but to raise awareness of the crime of Identity Theft. The Township Building was busy all morning handling the steady stream of eager Lower Macungie Recyclers!
Just 10 minutes donating blood can save the lives of up to 3 people says Lynne Reitz of St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Macungie. Last week the church held a blood drive for the community. Giving blood is an important and generous act, one which Lynne is only all too familiar with. Her daughter, Claire, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at age 2. "I understand the need for blood donations," Lynne says. Many members of St. Anne's congregation were on hand during the blood drive to donate. While most people think primarily of red blood cells being collected during blood drives, …
I had the honor of being at the Flight 93 Memorial in Stoneycreek Township near Shanksville, Somerset County on September 12. I believe that the pictures of the memorial that day speak louder then any words I could muster, but (speaking purely for myself) I will say this: like so many others I was horrified and frightened, and later amazed at the story of the crew and passengers of Flight 93. Seeing the memorial though, makes it more then just a story; it drives home exactly how alive these people were, whether it was through the mementos left for them or just seeing the different parts of …
The 2011 Great Allentown Fair was a chance for exhibitors from all over Pennsylvania to show off their livestock, wares, and talents. Residents from Macungie and Alburtis were among those who bring color and enthusiasm to the event annually, and this year was no different. This week's Viewfinder contains just a sample of some of the exhibits that talented folks from Macungie and Alburtis brought to the Fair this year.
