ALBURTIS, Pa. – The little borough of Alburtis is gearing up for a festival that will light up the town for the Halloween weekend for its biggest celebration of the holiday yet.
On Saturday, food trucks, floats, festivities and, of course, candy will have the spotlight on the municipality of 2,500 or so, as Alburtis puts on its first large-scale Halloween event.
- Alburtis is set to have its first large Halloween parade event on Saturday, with a rain date of Sunday.
- The event will feature participation from about 40 local groups and businesses
- Before the parade, the borough's community center will hold its Fall Festival to have a day full of festivities
Borough Councilman Hector Moss led the effort to get the bigger event off the ground — polling and reaching out to community members while getting different organizations and council on board.
Moss said his efforts have been met with excitement and positivity beyond his and his colleagues' expectations.
“It's been very overwhelming to see not only the generosity from our community, but for all the organizations that reached out to us and said, ‘We want to be part of this, we're excited for this,’” Moss said.
“I don't want to get too emotional, but it is very emotional.”
He said they have secured participation of 40 organizations, including local scouting groups, first responders, local businesses and more.
"It's been very overwhelming to see not only the generosity from our community, but for all the organizations that reached out to us and said, ‘We want to be part of this, we're excited for this. I don't want to get too emotional, but it is very emotional"Borough Councilman Hector Moss
The event comes at no cost to the borough besides the presence of extra police officers, and instead has taken donations from the community while using volunteers.
“To see how people are just so selfless and wanting to assist us, whether it's through monetary donation or just giving their time to volunteer to make this happen, it's truly amazing,” Moss said. "It's the Alburtis I always knew that it would be.”
It follows many events in the Lehigh Valley throughout the year making returns or coming back even stronger following the coronavirus pandemic’s restrictions.
Advance registration is required to participate in the parade. Staging will begin at 5:15 p.m. It then will continue on a route that loops across town.
About a dozen food trucks and vendors will be there to offer various meals and desserts for attendees to buy.
All vehicles must be removed from the parade route by 3 p.m. Saturday, or they could be towed.
Paired with the parade, Alburtis Area Community Center will bring back its Fall Festival from 1-5 p.m. before the parade.
Admission is $5, and includes activities such as face painting, games, a bounce house, pumpkin painting and other fun children’s activities.
“While we're two separate entities, we thought and felt it was very important to do something that would include both organizations to create a day of fun for the entire community,” Moss said.
Moss said past events in Alburtis were much smaller in scale, focused on the elementary school. Now it is a full day of celebrations for the kids in the borough.
The councilman said the event sets the foundation for future communitywide events the borough hopes to hold. He said he hopes those who attend enjoy the atmosphere of the closely knit town.
Those interested in learning more can see the Facebook event here.
Trick or treat in the borough is set for 6-8 the night of Halloween. A holiday festival in the borough also is planned for Dec. 4.
