The 2021 Saucon Valley Spirit Parade will be held in Hellertown on Sunday, Oct. 24 beginning at 2 p.m. (FILE PHOTO)
It’s been a few years since Hellertown has played host to a big parade, so organizers of Sunday’s Saucon Valley Spirit Parade and borough officials are taking extra steps to inform the community about the event, which will begin at 2 p.m.
In an email Thursday, Hellertown officials confirmed that the parade route will be as follows:
West on Walnut Street turning north on Main Street turning east on Water Street turning south on Rentzheimer Drive turning east on Durham Street and turning south on Constitution Avenue
All roads within and around the parade route will be shut down by 1:30 p.m., the email said. Those roads will remain closed to traffic until the conclusion of the parade, which means that residents who live along or within the parade loop won’t be able to enter or leave the area by car for at least a couple of hours.
Detours will be in place for Main Street traffic, but motorists should expect delays if they will be traveling through any part of Hellertown during the parade.
Borough officials also warned residents and others not to move barricades that will be in place because of the detours.
“When you see a barricade blocking the street, (it) doesn’t give you the right to move it,” the email said. “There is usually a reason. Think ‘parade’ on Sunday. Stay alert and don’t drive in the parade route, please!”
The email also noted that individuals removing barricades in order to drive down a closed road during the parade “happens every year.”
The 2021 Saucon Valley Spirit Parade will follow its regular route through the borough of Hellertown, beginning and ending at the entrance to the Saucon Valley School District campus on Walnut Street. Residents who live within the “parade zone” will not be able to enter or exit the area–except in cases of emergency–from approximately 1:30 p.m. until the parade’s conclusion.
Of course, the last time the Saucon Valley Spirit Parade was held was in 2018.
In 2019, heavy rain forced its cancellation, and last year restrictions on public gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic made it virtually impossible to hold Halloween parades and other large-scale, in-person events.
There is no rain date for the Saucon Valley Spirit Parade, however as of Thursday the weather forecast for Sunday, Oct. 24 appeared meteorologically auspicious. According to the National Weather Service, the day’s high will be 61 degrees and skies will be sunny.
If the weather Sunday is nearly perfect, a crowd of thousands will line the borough’s streets to watch the parade, which means spectator safety will also be a concern.
In the borough’s email, organizers reminded parents to keep a close eye on their children, particularly since candy will be thrown from moving vehicles in the parade.
“(The parade) committee has seen children reach underneath trucks just for a piece of candy,” the email said. “A life isn’t worth a piece of candy.”
The parade is entirely run by volunteers and supported by donations, with many local businesses sponsoring bands or supporting the event in other ways.
Some businesses like Lost River Caverns are perennially impacted by the closure of roads during the parade, and borough officials urged residents to support them as well.
Other things to know about the 2021 Saucon Valley Spirit Parade:
- This year’s parade theme is “Happy Days Are Here Again.”
- The parade is judged, with prizes awarded for first, second and third place in Individual, Group, Float and Theme categories. The judges’ stand will be located near the intersection of Water and Main streets, in the driveway between Hellertown Borough Hall and “the Stables.” The judges for the 2021 parade are Amanda Buss, Diane French, Robert Frey, Keith Lentz and Jessica O’Donnell.
- The parade will be televised on a local cable channel, with cameras set up across from Heintzelman Funeral Home at 326 Main Street, Hellertown.
- Line-up for the parade will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Saucon Valley School District campus. All participants other than bands must park in in the high school parking lots, and groups must register once they are assembled in order to be judged.
- There will be a candy refill station at the Hellertown Post Office, 660 Delaware Avenue, for floats and groups that run out of candy to throw while marching the parade. Donations of unwrapped Halloween candy are being accepted there until Saturday, Oct. 23.
- The Hellertown Area Library will be selling hot dogs at the library, 409 Constitution Ave., Hellertown, from 1 p.m. until they’re sold out on parade day Sunday.
Perhaps most importantly, parade organizers asked for the community’s patience and understanding if they encounter minor inconveniences because of the parade. To that end, residents can expect to receive an automated phone call by the end of this week, advising them about road closures and when cars will need to be removed from along the parade route. (No parking signs are expected to be posted along the route by Saturday.)
Saucon Source photographer Chris Christian will be covering the parade, so look for lots of great photos of the bands, floats, dignitaries, fire trucks, police cars, spectators and more on Monday.
>To view photos from this year’s Coopersburg Halloween Parade, click here.
Borough officials also took the opportunity Thursday to remind residents that Trick-or-Treat in Hellertown borough as well as Lower Saucon Township will be held Sunday, Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Sponsors for the 2021 Saucon Valley Spirit Parade include the Borough of Hellertown, Lower Saucon Township, Realty Outfitters-Cheyenne Reiman, ACR Lawn & Landscape-The Rosenberger Family, Coolez HVAC-Derek Leibensperger, Bradford D. Wagner Attorney-at-Law, Creekview Veterinary Hospital-Dr. Kara Ballek & Staff, Farmers Insurance Wimbish Agency-Brandon Wimbish, Feet First Podiatry-Dr. Maggie Solimeo, EXP Realty-Eric T. Neith, Jim Gardner-State Farm Insurance, Bucks Run Oil, American Legion Auxiliary & Edward H. Ackerman American Legion Post 397, Saucon Valley Lions Club, En Avant School of Dance-Angela Mattos, Mary & Randy Neher and Hellertown Lions Club.
For updates about the Saucon Valley Spirit Parade, follow the event’s Facebook page.
