What's Happening in Whitehall: Week of October 19

A suburban Pennsylvania township street in late October at dusk, glowing jack-o'-lanterns and corn stalks on porches under peak autumn maples

The third full week of October brings Whitehall's biggest neighborhood night of the fall, the township Halloween Parade, onto the school district campus; the haunted hayrides keep running Friday and Saturday nights at the Parkway; and the Zephyrs head to Parkland for a Friday-night league football game. Around town, Matilda the Musical plays its final weekend at Civic Theatre of Allentown, the Phantoms host a two-game home weekend at the PPL Center, and The Price Is Right Live comes to the Wind Creek Event Center. This roundup, researched Wednesday, October 7, 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 marquee event is the annual township Halloween Parade on Thursday, October 22 at 6:00 PM, with no rain date. It steps off from the Whitehall-Coplay School District campus and is free for spectators and participants. Parade Director Michele K. Dragovits (610-437-5524, ext. 1165) handles entries and details, which are posted on the township website. This is the night the whole neighborhood turns out, so mark it on the calendar now.

The haunted hayrides at the Whitehall Parkway (4689 South Church Street) run every Friday and Saturday, October 2 through October 31, from 7:00 to 11:00 PM, which means Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24 are both operating nights this week. 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.

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 remains active while the building is closed to the public, with the Basket Raffle presale continuing through October 29 (five cards of 15 raffle tickets for $20 during the presale). The library has closed early on parade day in past years, so if you plan to stop by Thursday, October 22, check the library's events page first.

Around the Lehigh Valley This Week

Theater fans get the final weekend of 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 final performances: Friday, October 23 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, October 24 at 2:00 and 7:30 PM; and Sunday, October 25 at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for students, seniors 60 and up, and military (plus a $4 per-ticket fee), through the Civic Theatre box office.

Music venues have a full Friday night. The Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem hosts "The Price Is Right Live - On Stage" on Friday, October 23 at 8:00 PM, the game-show stage experience from the TV classic. Over at SteelStacks, the Musikfest Cafe welcomes Dirty Deeds, the AC/DC experience, on Friday, October 23 at 7:30 PM. Both are about a 20-minute drive from Whitehall.

Hockey-wise, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms are home for two games this weekend at the PPL Center: Saturday, October 24 at 7:05 PM against the Syracuse Crunch, and Sunday, October 25 at 3:05 PM against the Belleville Senators, with the Phan Con fan event also on the Sunday slate. It is about a 15-minute drive from Whitehall to Allentown for either game.

Light towers glowing over the turf of an empty suburban Pennsylvania high school stadium on a cool October night

Also around the valley: Halloween Haunt at Dorney Park in Allentown keeps its select nights through October 31, and the Friday through Sunday stretch of October 23 to 25 is on the operating calendar, typically 6:00 to 11:00 PM, while the daytime family event Tricks and Treats runs 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekends through November 1. CANstruction at the Lehigh Valley Mall is in its final days through October 24, with canned-food sculptures that get donated after the display. Families with little ones can mark Sunday, October 25 for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber's Trunk or Treat, a family event with candy and crafts from nearly 100 local businesses and crafters; check the Chamber's event page for the exact location.

Fall farm season is at its peak: Seiple Farms in Bath runs Fall Fun weekends through November 1 with a free hayride to the pumpkin patch and a $10 corn maze (plus a flashlight corn maze on Friday nights), 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, and Bear Rock Junction in New Tripoli opens weekends through October 29, with a 2-plus-acre corn maze, pumpkin patch, hayrides, a spooky train, and glow golf.

Whitehall-Coplay School District: What's On

The week starts quietly on the school calendar: the board-approved calendar lists a fall break Monday and Tuesday, October 19 and 20, with no school for students, and classes resume Wednesday, October 21. The district calendar at whitehallcoplay.org is the authoritative source for early dismissals and the rest of the fall schedule.

There is no school board meeting in this window. Under the schedule that took effect October 12, committee meetings convene on the fourth Monday at 5:00 PM, so the next board action is the committee night Monday, October 26 at the Education Center (2932 Zephyr Boulevard), 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.

The campus itself is the stage for the town's biggest fall night: the Whitehall Township Halloween Parade takes over the school district campus Thursday, October 22 at 6:00 PM, a township-run community event hosted on school grounds. It is a wonderful evening for families to see neighbors, staff, and local groups all together.

On the field, the Zephyrs varsity football team plays at Parkland on Friday, October 23 at 7:00 PM in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference league game, then returns home for Senior Night against Allentown Central Catholic on Friday, October 30 at Zephyr Stadium (3800 Mechanicsville Road). Fall soccer, field hockey, cross country, and volleyball teams are all in season across the district, with schedules on the Zephyrs athletics site.

Good Places to Eat in and Around Whitehall

Parade night, game night, and hayride night are all easier with a good dinner nearby, and Whitehall's MacArthur Road corridor is well stocked. A current lineup of local favorites:

  • Whitehall Diner, 3026 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall: the all-hours standby on the corridor, easy before or after a game.
  • City View Diner, 1831 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall: a long-running neighborhood diner further down the corridor.
  • Flaming Grill & Supreme Buffet, 1055 Grape St, Whitehall: a big buffet room on the Grape Street side of town.
  • Thirsty Turtle Tavern, 1410 Grape St, Whitehall: casual bar fare and drinks in a tucked-away spot.
  • Bonefish Grill, 901 Lehigh Lifestyle Center, Whitehall: seafood and a comfortable sit-down room near the mall.
  • 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.
  • Palermos Italian Grill, 11 E 24th St, Northampton: a sit-down Italian dinner on the way home from a fall festival.

The Quick List: Current Things to Do

"From a quiet no-school start on the fall break to the township Halloween Parade on Thursday, the haunted hayrides Friday and Saturday night, and a full weekend of Matilda, Phantoms hockey, and The Price Is Right Live, the week of October 19 is when Whitehall's fall calendar peaks all at once: floats on the school campus, lights on the Parkland field, and pumpkins everywhere in between."

Tim Tepes, Associate Broker

If you are house hunting in the Lehigh Valley, late October is a great time to see Whitehall on its best behavior: the parade on the school campus, the parks full of families, the Friday-night football trip up to Parkland, and the dining corridor humming on MacArthur Road. 4365 Spruce St sits a few minutes from the township parks, the school campus, the stadium, and the dining corridor, with the fall calendar at its fullest right now. Come see the neighborhood while the season is happening, and let's talk about whether it is the right fit for you. Event dates, times, locations, 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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