Lehigh Valley Marketplace

By Kathryn Finegan Clark Without a doubt, the most colorful, endearing and enduring holiday tradition in Allentown’s West End is the annual staging of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” This adaptation of the 1843 classic will mark its 21st year at ... CONTINUE READING

By Kathryn Finegan Clark Coplay, Hokendauqua and Fullerton: these three little Lehigh County communities hug the western bank of the Lehigh River as it flows toward Easton where it empties into the Delaware River. They are, for the most part, pleasant little residential areas dot ... CONTINUE READING

By Kathryn Finegan Clark Coopersburg’s birth and growth are carved dramatically on the borough seal which features three important symbols: seven stars, a cow and a wheel. The stars commemorate the name of the settlement’s first hotel erected between 1745 and 1750 along what ... CONTINUE READING

By Kathryn Finegan Clark Easton’s College Hill neighborhood was nothing but a forested and uninhabited hunk of mountain sloping down from the 700 – foot high Chestnut Ridge when America declared its independence in 1776. Easton was one of only three cities where the Dec ... CONTINUE READING

By Kathryn Finegan Clark It’s the Lehigh Valley’s answer to Montana’s Big Sky —and it’s only minutes from busy Allentown. If the Valley has a secret to keep, it is surely this gorgeous northwest corner of Lehigh County, America’s 18th Century frontier. Climb a hill a ... CONTINUE READING

By Faith Brenneisen As inches-upon-inches of snow have piled-up on us this winter, it’s exciting to begin planning for warm spring days and outdoor activities. With nearly 40 parks covering more than 1,600 acres. 34 ball fields, over 50 game courts; five outdoor pools, and two ... CONTINUE READING

By Kathryn Finegan Clark~ Say what you will about the dull, nothing-ever-happens small town, but consider this: sometimes things do happen. Take a look at Riegelsville, the quintessential small town. The town is wrapped in its history; some think it is bound by it. A decade ago l ... CONTINUE READING

By Kathryn Finegan Clark The winter holidays begin in Martin’s Creek the first Tuesday in December.That’s when the community Christmas tree suddenly springs to life in the night sky. About 200 residents, or about one-fifth of the town, gathered for last year’s tree-lighting ... CONTINUE READING

By Kathryn Finegan Clark Pioneers organized what is now Upper Saucon Township. These sturdy immigrants beat back the wilderness, clearing forests and turning the rolling hills into fields. Center Valley is aptly named. Connecting the Lehigh and Delaware valleys, it’s a direct l ... CONTINUE READING

By Kathryn Finegan Clark At first the Lenni Lenapes called it Mauch Chunk, which in their language means “sleeping bear;” That’s what they thought the mountains encircling the village resembled. Although the borough is now the seat of Carbon County and renamed Jim Thorpe, i ... CONTINUE READING