Vote for Local Finalist in Holiday Lights Contest

Your vote can help Salisbury School District win $100,000

A Lehigh Valley home is one of 24 national finalists in the Patch "Deck the House" contest. Wayne and Alayne Renninger have been decorating their house for Christmas in a big way for more than 30 years. If one inflatable Santa is good, 10 are better. They're house broadcasts "Merry Christmas" in large white lights. Seeing their house on South Fairview Road in Salisbury Township all decked out in lights and hearing the appreciative comments from passersby was always its own reward. But that changed Friday when the Renningers found out their house was selected to be among two dozen finalists out of hundreds of entries in Patch's national Deck the House Contest. If they win (by getting the most votes by Jan. 8), Salisbury Township School …

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Trexlertown Holding Santa Run Saturday, Dec. 17

Goodwill Fire Company #1 will hoist Santa atop a fire truck to bring goodies to kids.

Goodwill Fire Co. #1 of Trexlertown will hold its annual Santa Run on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. throughout the Trexlertown coverage area. Here is the schedule of stops: STARTING AT 10 A.M.: 8009 Crosscreek Circle and Barnview; 7847 Red Hawk Court; Club House: Autumn Park Apartments; Club House: Parkland View; Highgate Avenue and Thorton Road. STARTING AT 11:15 A.M.: Aster Road and Foxglove; Heritage Drive and Pinewind Drive South; Heritage Drive and Greystone Circle; Heritage Drive and Pinewind Drive North. STARTING AT 12:15 P.M.: Goodwill Fire Company #1 Trexlertown; Starling and Waterbury Road; Cascade Road and Pathfinder Road. STARTING AT 1:05 P.M.: Colebrook Road and Travers Road; Travers Road and Falls Road; Bridgeton Road and …

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Station 56 Santa Run Set for Saturday, Dec. 17

Santa will ditch his reindeer and sleigh for a run around Upper Macungie Township.

Santa Claus will make his annual trek through Upper Macungie Township via fire truck Saturday Dec. 17, beginning at 9 a.m., courtesy of Station 56. He'll have goodies for the children, so listen for the sirens, watch for the fire trucks and come out and meet Santa at the following locations: STARTING AT 9 A.M.: Elm Road and Tupelo Road; Tupelo Road and Bastian Lane; Hemlock Road and Maple Street; Barn Swallow Lane between Yale Court and Bastian Lane; Snowy Orchid Lane and Celandine Drive; Wild Mint Lane and Indigo Way. STARTING AT 10 A.M.: Indigo Way and Sawgrass Drive; Winterberry Place and Wild Mint Lane; Snowy Orchid Lane and Royal Fern Road; Royal Fern Road and Sugarberry Drive; Reid Lane and Kristin Lane; Robert Drive and Richard Lane…

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Deck Your House and Win $100,000 for Upper Macungie Public Schools

Get out the lights and holly. Your decorating could net $100,000 to our schools.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to win a $100,000 gift to the Upper Macungie Public Schools. Patch.com is launching a nationwide contest to find the best dressed home in its Patch communities, and the winner’s school district will receive $100,000, no strings attached. Here’s how the contest works. Beginning on Dec. 8 and continuing through Dec. 26, you can nominate your home by uploading a photo to the contest entry form on the site. During that same time period you and your neighbors will also be able to vote for your favorite festive home. The winning entry will be forwarded to a national Patch judge who will select 24 finalists. Each finalist will receive $500 that they can apply to their December electric bill. From Dec. 30 through…

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Tom De Martini

8:39 am on Friday, December 23, 2011

There are only THREE MORE days to enter the Deck The House contest! Why should you enter? You could win $500 toward your December electric bill -- and Upper Mac/Parkland schools could win $100,000. How do you enter? Just click on the link, sign up and upload a photo of your holiday house lights. Questions? Concerns? Email thomas.demartini@patch.com.   more ›

Parkland High Releases its Annual Holiday CD

This year's edition of Parkland's Holiday CD includes 12 greatest hits from the past five years.

Parkland High School’s Music Production class released its annual holiday CD, “Parkland: A Season for Giving 2011,” during a launch party Wednesday morning. James Adams, a senior, ran the sound system, playing the tracks for each song during the launch party and explained why the music production work on the holiday CD meant so much to him. “I’m planning to major in this in college,” Adams said. “I was really happy I had the opportunity to give this a dry run in high school, to make sure I want to do this the rest of my life.” This is the sixth annual holiday CD developed by the school’s Music Production class. But this year, there’s a bonus. In addition to 11 new songs, the class chose 12 greatest hits from the past five years. The …

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Fogelsville Tree Lights Up the Holiday Season

Church Street Park hosts annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

For over 50 years, the traditional Christmas tree lighting ceremony has taken place at Church Street Park in Fogelsville, a hidden gem of a park located just around the corner from the Fogelsville post office. This year was no different from any other. Joann Marchetto, pastor of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Fogelsville, led almost 100 observers in the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on the crisp, clear Sunday evening, Dec. 6. This is only the second year this particular tree has been lit; a storm destroyed the larger tree which once stood in its place. Despite the newly planted tree’s smaller size, the colorful vintage Christmas lights created a festive glow as the power was ignited. St. John’s UCC Minister of Music, John …

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Clover Hill Winery Holds Coat Drive This Week

Clover Hill's coat drive will benefit The Caring Place in Allentown.

Clover Hill Vineyards and Winery in Breinigsville is holding a coat drive this week to benefit The Caring Place in Allentown. The coat drive will continue through Sunday Dec. 4 with Clover Hill's Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 3. It is the third year Clover Hill will accept used coats in good condition for the Caring Place, according to employee Stormy Skrimp. The Caring Place is a a youth development center that reaches out to youth in the Lehigh Valley who may be facing adversity. People donating gently used coats will receive a 10 percent discount on wine purchases and a 20 percent discount on cases, Skrimp said, adding Clover Hill collected more than 1,000 coats last year. For more information on Clover Hill's Holiday Open House…

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Poll: Staying Home for Thanksgiving?

Will you modify your holiday plans or will they remain the same?

The tough economy has put a crimp in everyone's pocketbooks this year and the Thanksgiving holiday is fast approaching. Upper Macungie Patch wants to know how this will affect your holiday plans and traditions or will they remain the same as always? Please participate in the poll below and let us know your thoughts.

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Take Our Poll: Is Santa Here Too Early?

Santa arrived at Lehigh Valley Mall on Veterans Day

Sure, you've come to expect Christmas merchandise filling store shelves before Halloween has faded into the pre-winter darkness. But this year, Santa Claus arrived at Lehigh Valley Mall on Veterans Day - Nov. 11. Similarly, you'll find Santa is also ready for his close-up at Palmer Park Mall near Easton and at South Mall near Allentown. The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley are following a more traditional calendar. Santa will arrive in Center Valley for a tree-lighting event on Nov. 26 - the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So what do you think? Take our poll and please add your comments below.

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Terri Simpson

6:48 pm on Monday, November 14, 2011

Christmas of course is coming very early economy is in the toilet and they are hoping for depression shopping which I believe is in full force so when they say people are spending they are maxing out credit cards because they know they will not be able to pay for it they are sinking so why not go all the way.   more ›