Three Months till Alburtis’ Birthday Party

The community of Alburtis is counting down to their 100th Birthday Party! What better way to celebrate a century of life and growth than by partaking in THREE days of family-friendly and affordable fun?!

The borough’s Centennial anniversary celebration will occur on Friday May 10th through Sunday May 12th. It all starts on Friday evening at 6:30 pm with a cake cutting and opening ceremonies at borough hall.

Want a taste of the rest of the agenda?

- Gallery opening at Old Vic and Folkwerks on Main Street, featuring artistic interpretations of the town’s past and present: there’s no charge to look (but we can’t promise you won’t want to buy something). The borough’s gorgeous (and still very much original) architecture and inherent charm – not to mention being home to the exquisite and creative-inspirational Lockridge Furnace – offer an ideal atmosphere for artists to capture and portray the town’s spirit.

- Self Guided Historical Walking Tours of the downtown: take a leisurely walk through historic Alburtis with the historical society’s NEW guidebook. Find out where there used to be a carriage works, a shirt factory, a harness shop, a bakery. Learn fun tidbits about the people and places that make up Alburtis’ history.

- Bicycle Decorating Contest (for kids) – the Fire Company is hosting this fun activity to involve the borough’s kids. They can decorate their bicycles and even ride them in the parade, to show off their creativity and brag to their children 25 years from now that they were a part of the Centennial.

- Centennial Parade – Fire Companies, fancy cars, local groups, and even residents will traverse throughout the borough… not for fame or fortune or to win a contest, but for the fun of it. Interested in participating – you have until the end of March to register (no cost): call 610.966.4777. Who knows – maybe you’ll end up as a photograph in the time capsule for future generations to see!

- NEW Geo-caching Course – this will offer over a dozen stops on this hour long, permanent course throughout the borough, which is being coordinated as an Eagle Scout project; stay tuned in the near future for a news release specifically focused on this awesome hide and seek game of exploration and finding the “treasure.”

- Frog Float in Swabia Creek – in the small town of Alburtis they like to be different, so instead of a rubber duck derby in the Swabia Creek they're hosting a wooden frog derby. Sound fun – then make sure to buy your frog ahead of time from the community center.

- Fashion Show of Historic Clothing – held at the cast house on the Lockridge Furnace complex, learn about “fashions through the ages” from Faith Andrews (also the director of the Lockridge Theatre Group).

- The Macungie Band – this instrumental group of more than forty people can trace its roots back over 150 years! There isn’t any more relevant musical entertainment to celebrate 100 years of Alburtis history, than to use an original American small town band from their neighboring community. Bring your chairs Saturday evening and unwind to some music in the park.

- Sunday AM Church Service at Lockridge Park – Good Shepherd and Zion Lehigh Churches will be partnering to offer a joint, non-denominational religious service for their followers and guests (all are welcome).

- Annual May Day theatrical performance at the furnace – every year the Lockridge Theatre group showcases their talents with a Renaissance-themed theatrical performance amidst the ruins of a former Lockridge Furnace structure. The backdrop of the furnace behind the attendees make them feel as if they’re part of the crowning of the May Queen and the Dance around the May Pole. By the way, this year’s May Queen has the honors of being the Centennial Queen – overseeing the weekend’s activities with the help of her court.

- Burial of a Time Capsule – you can’t close out a 100 year celebration without leaving something for future generations; in addition to a disc of photographs chronicling the weekend’s activities and one of the event programs (which will be on sale soon, by the way ), they are still deciding what to include inside. Have ideas? They’d love to hear them ... share your comments!

Check out the poster attached to this write up for times and details. If you’re interested in being a crafter at May Day, or a participant in the parade, or would like to get involved in any other way leave us a comment and someone from the committee will be in touch.

Alburtis may be young and small, but its history is compact and great and part of a much larger history – that of our anthracite iron industry and of our nation’s “railroad towns.” Come explore and learn more...