June has always been the kickoff month to Summer fun and this year is no exception. One of our trademark events is the annual Soapbox Derby held on the hill of West Prospect Street and that event will occur on June 6, 2026 beginning with actual trials and reces at 10:00 am. At the same time, the Moravian Historical Society will stage its 48th Arts and Crafts Festival on the grounds of the Whitefield House. The Circle, as it always does on Spring, Summer and early Fall Saturdays will host the Farmer's Market while the Borough Pool will open at 12 noon for another full day of swimming fun. On June 13th, from 2:00 pm till 6:00 pm, the Chamber of Commerce's annual Food Truck Festival will he held on Belvidere Street and the Fireman's Carnival will again fill our park with revelers beginning on Wednesday evening, June 17th for its usual 4-day run. The SOAR Summer camp gets underway on Monday, June 22, 2026 for its usual six week sting, filling the park with happy campers weekdays until the end of July.

Following 22 months of rebuilding, constructing a new addition and doing some refinements to its original home, Nazareth Borough Council will return to its meeting headquarters, Council Chambers at 159 West Center Street for its May 28, 2026 Workshop Meeting and June 1, 2026 regular Business Meeting. Both meetings are open to the general public and both begin promptly at 6:00 pm. Council will honor Eagle Scout Oliver Pellegrino at its Workshop Meeting and thank him for the work he did at the Borough Dog Park. Oliver provided some new play apparatuses for our furry friends and did some extensive general refurbishments to the Dog Park as part of his Eagle Scout Community Service project and both have been major improvements to our popular venue on Black Rock Road. The District XI Girl's Championship Soccer Team will be honored at 6:00 pm on June 1, 2026 as players and Head Coach Ziggy Lewis and his staff will receive well deserved awards. An "open house" and dedication ceremony for the new addition to Council Chambers will happen in the coming months and you are urged to watch for announcements and then to attend the ceremony and enjoy refreshments at that coming historic event.

The always bustling Spring/Summer season in the Borough of Nazareth will kick off in May as our Pool will again open on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at noon. The Memorial Day Parade will follow at 10:00 am in the downtown on Monday, May 25, 2026 with a closing Honors Services at Council Chambers set to begin at approximately 10:45 am. As always, our nationally renowned high school band will highlight the Parade but our fallen veterans will most certainly be the focus as we deservedly honor them for their ultimate sacrifices. The Pool will be open weekends until the close of school and open daily on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 with a closing date of Labor Day, Monday, September 6, 2026. Each Summer and early Fall Saturday will again see the Farmer's Market in the Circle from 9:00 am till 1:00 pm and this year will again have entertainment and some added new vendors. Plan ahead for the Chamber's Food Truck Festival on Belvidere Street on Saturday, June 13th with our nation's 250th Birthday celebration three weeks later on Saturday, July 4th. That day will kick off with the 2026 version of the Kazoo Parade at 10:00 am which will end at the Whitefield House where the 250th Birthday event will follow until the late afternoon. Two of Nazareth's very finest, Bill Brackbill and Ralph Brodt Jr. will be this year's very deserving Parade Grand Marshalls.

At its Monday, May 5th, Business Meeting, Council has passed a motion to amend a Parking Ordinance and remove five (5) "Fifteen Minute Parking Spaces" in the downtown metered zone. The ordinance amendment will be properly advertised before again coming before Council for final approval at the June 1, 2026 Business Meeting. That meeting should also signal a return to Council Chambers for the first time in 22 months as all Borough Meetings have been held in the Ambulance Building Training Room since September of 2024. Debate about the fifteen minute parking spaces included abuses of the spaces by residents, customers and even business owners plus the loss of revenue. For reasons of safety, the Belvidere Street drop off Five Minute Space at the Downtown Daycare Center was not included in the amended motion. That drop off zone will remain unchanged. Here is the list of the spaces to be eliminated and where meters will soon be placed...

Motion to advertise for an amendment to the Borough's parking ordinance which deletes all limited time parking designations in the meter district, specifically as follows: 1. S. Broad St. - West side- From a point 184' south of Center St. for 22' - Every day 10 min. 2. S. Main St. - East side- From a point 92' south of the curb line of Belvidere St. to a point 114' south of Belvidere St. - Every day 15 mins. 3. S. Main St. - East side- From a point 177'7" north of the curb line of Belvidere St. and continuing north for 21' - Every day 15 mins. 4. S. Main St. - West side- From a point 96' south of Mauch Chunk St. to a point 119' south of Mauch Chunk St. - Every day 15 mins. 5. S. Main St. West side- From a point 224' north of the curb line of Mauch Chunk St. and continuing north for 25' - Every day 15 mins.

Continued construction and UCC permit approval delays, some due to weather and others for material availability, will again delay Council's return to its 159 West Center Street home. Councilman and Public Property Chairman Carl Strye Jr. has told Council to anticipate a return to Council Chambers for the June 2026 meeting cycle. The Borough May Workshop Meeting will be held on Thursday evening, April 30, 2026 at 6:00 pm in the rear training room of the Nazareth Regional Ambulance Building, 519 Seip Avenue and the May Borough Business Meeting will follow on Monday evening, May 4, 2026 at the same time and in the same location. The post Memorial Day Parade Honors Service will be held at Council Chambers on the portico at approximately 10:45 - 11:00 am on Monday, May 25, 2026. For now, it is anticipated that the June meeting cycle will signal a return to Council Chambers at 159 West Center Street but that is of course, still subject to change.

The Borough's Yard Waste Recycling Center will reopen for the season on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. The facility's hours of operation are noon to 6:00 pm...Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays...Saturdays 10:00 am till 6:00 pm...Sundays 10:00 am till 4:00 pm. The facility, at 1 G.W. Stoudt Boulevard adjacent to the Public Works Garage and Essroc Fields is closed on Mondays and Fridays. The Borough Skate Park will open on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 during regular Park hours with closing each evening at dusk.

Continued construction delays, some due to cold and windy weather, will again delay Council's return to its 159 West Center Street home. Councilman and Public Property Chairman Carl Strye Jr. has told Council to anticipate a return to Council Chambers for the May 2026 meeting cycle. That is of course, subject to change.