What's Happening in Whitehall: Week of October 12

A township park walking path lined with carved pumpkins and hay bales under peak autumn color at golden hour

The middle of October settles into a familiar rhythm in Whitehall: haunted hayrides continue at the Parkway, the Zephyrs play their Thursday-night home game against William Allen under the lights, and the school district and township both hold their October meetings. Beyond town, Matilda the Musical opens its second week at Civic Theatre of Allentown, the Jefferson Bethlehem Running Festival fills downtown Bethlehem, and the Phantoms point toward their October 23 to 25 home weekend at the PPL Center. This roundup, researched Monday, October 5, covers things to do in Whitehall, what is on at the Whitehall-Coplay School District, good places to eat in and around town, and a dated list of current events to plan around.

Things to Do in Whitehall Right Now

The haunted hayrides are back for the season and keep running deep into the month: every Friday and Saturday night, October 2 through October 31, from 7:00 to 11:00 PM at the Whitehall Parkway (4689 South Church Street). Tickets are cash only and sold on site: $15 for ages 13 and up, $7 for ages 5 to 12, and free for children under 5, with proceeds benefiting the Whitehall Fire Department. Mid-month nights are the busiest as the season peaks, so arriving a little early is a safe bet.

Local government has a busy Monday ahead. The township Board of Commissioners holds its regular meeting Monday, October 12 at 7:00 PM in the Public Meeting Room of the Municipal Building (3219 MacArthur Road), and the township began livestreaming its meetings that same evening. Agendas and minutes live on the township website, a handy way to follow leaf collection, parks projects, and fall budget conversation.

The annual township Halloween Parade marches Thursday, October 22 at 6:00 PM with no rain date, hosted on the Whitehall-Coplay School District campus and free for spectators and participants. Parade Director Michele K. Dragovits (610-437-5524, ext. 1165) handles entries and details. October 22 is one of the biggest neighborhood nights of the fall, so it deserves a spot on the calendar now.

Township recreation keeps the calendar moving: the Aerobostix outdoor fitness class is set for Tuesday, October 20 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at Egypt Memorial Park (4548 Main Street). The Whitehall Township Public Library also keeps its fall calendar active while its building remains closed to the public, with the Basket Raffle presale continuing through October 29; check the library's event page for program times before heading over.

Around the Lehigh Valley This Week

The big theater news for the middle of October is Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical at Civic Theatre of Allentown's Historic 19th Street Theatre (527 North 19th Street), running October 9 through 25. The upcoming performances in this window: Friday, October 16 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, October 17 at 2:00 and 7:30 PM; and Sunday, October 18 at 3:00 PM. Tickets and the full schedule are on the Civic Theatre site.

A historic theater marquee glowing over a small-town main street lined with brick storefronts, potted mums, and pumpkins at dusk

The Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem has a packed weekend: The Psychedelic Furs with Living Colour on Friday, October 16, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox on Saturday, October 17 at 8:00 PM, and the Michael Jackson HIStory tribute show on Sunday, October 18. All three nights are about a 20-minute drive from Whitehall.

Runners get the 2026 Jefferson Bethlehem Running Festival, Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18, with a trail run, kids run, 5K, 10K, half marathon, and relay winding through downtown Bethlehem. It is a good excuse to see the city with its autumn color on full display.

Hockey-wise, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms are on the road this week but return to the PPL Center for a three-game home weekend October 23 to 25: the Hershey Bears on Friday, October 23, the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday, October 24 at 7:05 PM, and the Belleville Senators on Sunday, October 25 at 3:05 PM. It is about a 15-minute drive from Whitehall to Allentown for any of those games.

Also around the valley: CANstruction at the Lehigh Valley Mall runs October 10 through 24, as teams of architects, engineers, and students build sculptures from canned food that get donated after the display. Halloween Haunt at Dorney Park keeps its select nights through October 31, while the daytime Great Pumpkin Fest runs on weekends for younger families. Seiple Farms in Bath runs Fall Fun weekends through November 1 with a free hayride to the pumpkin patch and a $10 corn maze, and Grim's Orchard and Family Farms in Breinigsville keeps its Fall Festival going through November 1 with pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, hayrides, and a corn maze.

Whitehall-Coplay School District: What's On

Monday, October 12 is a non-instructional day, with no school for students and instructional staff, a natural mid-month pause before the schedule tightens. The board-approved calendar at whitehallcoplay.org is the authoritative source for early dismissals and the rest of the fall schedule.

The school board holds its regular meeting Monday, October 12 at 7:00 PM in the Board Room at the Education Center (2932 Zephyr Boulevard), the first under the revised schedule effective October 12, which moved regular board meetings to the second Monday. Committee meetings now convene on the fourth Monday at 5:00 PM: the next committee night is Monday, October 26, with Finance/Personnel at 5:00 PM, followed by Education/Student Activities and Operations/Transportation. Confirm details on the district's school board page before heading over.

On the field, the Zephyrs varsity football team hosts William Allen at Zephyr Stadium (3800 Mechanicsville Road) on Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 PM, a Thursday-night game under the lights. The team heads to Parkland on Friday, October 23 and returns for the home finale against Allentown Central Catholic on Friday, October 30, Senior Night. Fall soccer, field hockey, cross country, golf, tennis, and volleyball teams are all in season across the district, with schedules on the Zephyrs athletics site.

Stadium light towers glowing over turf and empty bleachers at a suburban Pennsylvania high school field on an October dusk

One school-community date to note: the Whitehall High School Class of 1986 celebrates its 40th reunion Saturday, October 17 from 6:00 to 11:00 PM at West Coplay Maennerchor, listed on the district calendar. Classmates and neighbors can find details through the district and high school calendar pages.

Good Places to Eat in and Around Whitehall

Game nights, parade nights, and hayride nights call for easy dinners, and the area around Whitehall is well stocked. A current lineup of local favorites:

  • Angel's Pizza & Italian Restaurant, 5511 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall: a long-running slice-and-Italian spot right on the corridor.
  • Whitehall Diner, 3026 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall: the all-hours standby on the corridor, easy before or after a game.
  • Maraschino Diner, 1162 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall: the family-run newcomer in the former Lehigh Valley Diner building, worth trying if you have not yet.
  • Samuel Owens Restaurant & Bar, 128 Chestnut St, Coplay: a proper sit-down dinner in the neighboring borough for a relaxed evening out.
  • Assante Ristorante Italiano, 2050 Main St, Northampton: Italian dining with a comfortable room right up Main Street.
  • Santa Fe Taco Co, 2022 Main St, Northampton: tacos and street-style Mexican food, quick and reliably good.
  • Mario's Pizza Shop, 851 Main St, Northampton: dependable pizza and Italian basics a few minutes up the road.
  • Palermos Italian Grill, 11 E 24th St, Northampton: a sit-down Italian dinner on the way home from a fall festival.
  • Northampton Diner and Family Restaurant, 1205 Main St, Northampton: dependable family-style breakfast and lunch.

The Quick List: Current Things to Do

"From a no-school Monday and the district's first board meeting under its revised schedule to Thursday-night Zephyrs football against William Allen, Matilda on the Civic Theatre stage, and the Phantoms pointing to their October 23 to 25 home weekend, mid-October keeps Whitehall moving: stadium lights, hayrides, theater, running festivals, and the best color of the season arriving all at once."

Tim Tepes, Associate Broker

If you are house hunting in the Lehigh Valley, mid-October is an ideal time to visit Whitehall: hayrides nearly every weekend, the theater season underway in Allentown, the schools settled into their fall rhythm, and the parks at their most colorful. 4365 Spruce St sits a few minutes from the township parks, Zephyr Stadium, the schools, and the MacArthur Road dining corridor. Come see the neighborhood while the calendar is full, and let's talk about whether it is the right fit for you. Event dates, times, and prices can shift, so confirm details on the township, district, and venue pages linked above before you make plans.

Tim Tepes
Tim Tepes
Associate Broker · PA AB062628L

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