It may have been Friday the 13th, but it was all about the luck \u2018o the Irish as the annual St. Patrick\u2019s Day Block Party kicked off at The Wooden Match.<\/p>\n
The festivities that feted the wearin \u2018o\u2019 the green March 13-14 featured Irish music, food and beer trucks, games and outdoor bars, cigars and live music.<\/p>\n
The management team of The Wooden Match and Artisan Wine and Cheese Cellars \u2013 Rick and his wife Glennie as well as Younise \u2013 were happy for the participation of local food trucks and vendors.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs The Wooden Match and Artisan Wine and Cheese Cellars family, we support local, small businesses,\u201d the trio said.<\/p>\n
Vincent Randazzo owns both eateries, which share the same menu, kitchen and staff.<\/p>\n
This year marked the first time Norman and Jill Matthews brought their Dinky\u2019s Sliders and Ice Cream Snack Shack to St. Pat\u2019s at The Wooden Match, and were glad they did.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lovely event they put on, getting locals out to sell their products,\u201d Jill Matthews said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great place. They make you feel relaxed, like part of the family when you\u2019re here, not stressed. They make you feel very welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthews said their Bangor-based business gets its name from her husband, who was nicknamed \u201cMr. Dinky\u201d since he was a baby.<\/p>\n
The couple were proprietors of the former Dinky\u2019s Ice Cream Parlor and Grille on East Third Street on the Southside, and got their food truck rolling three years ago. They specialize in sliders and \u201cBangin\u201d \u2013 a nod to Bangor \u2013 offerings, which are made of a base with added cheese, pulled pork, baked beans and coleslaw.<\/p>\n
Dinky\u2019s makes the rounds of festivals and fairs, and does catering and private events. \u201cI like getting out and meeting the people,\u201d Norman Matthews said.<\/p>\n
Dinky\u2019s works with hospitals for events such as Nurses Week and employee appreciation events, and sometimes sets up shop from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. for a hospital\u2019s night shift crew. They work with schools for fundraisers, including Lehigh University and Lafayette College, Easton.<\/p>\n
Jill Matthews especially noted Lehigh University\u2019s Faux Friday, during which the school gives freshmen tickets to visit local restaurants \u2013 and enjoy ice cream at Dinky\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy to be part of this \u2013 it\u2019s fun to see people,\u201d Chrissy Maag, owner of Bethlum Shop, said.<\/p>\n
Maag makes Bethlum merchandise as a nod to how many people pronounce the city\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
\u201cI make fun T-shirts,\u201d Maag said. There are also hoodies, knit hats, coffee mugs and other items available on her Etsy shop.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Hometown\u201d at the Bethlum Shop was designed by Maag to commemorate Bethlehem\u2019s Main Street being named the Best Main Street in the USA Today 10 Best Readers\u2019 Choice Awards in 2025, and features places that are touchstones of the Christmas City.<\/p>\n
Maag sets up shop at The Wooden Match during Celtic Classic and \u201cMatch Fest\u201d \u2013 held during Musikfest \u2013 and also sells her unique Bethlum brand in pop-ups in stores.<\/p>\n
Greenberg Lemus, owner of La Cocina Del Abuelo (Grandpa\u2019s Kitchen), once again brought his authentic Mexican cuisine to St. Patrick\u2019s at The Wooden Match, where Grandpa\u2019s Kitchen also participates at the annual Cinco de Mayo Block Party in May.<\/p>\n
The eatery has recently expanded its presence into the Christmas City. While still operating at the original location at 621 W. Hamilton St., Allentown, \u201cwe just opened a second location at 81 W. Broad St. in January,\u201d Lemus said.<\/p>\n
The Wooden Match\u2019s first block party of the year offered tasty offerings to nosh on from La Cocina del Abuelo (Grandpa\u2019s Kitchen) and Dinky\u2019s Sliders and Ice Cream Snack Shack.<\/p>\n
Vendors included Bethlum Shop, Just Peachy by Michelle, This \u2018Lil Shoppe of Mine, Mod Metal Works, Bizzle Bites and The Wooden Match Cigar Tent.<\/p>\n
Musical artists on tap included Wild Clovers, Shark Acoustic Duo, Sons of Phelan, D.J. Carlos Merwin and DJ Jamal Knight.<\/p>\n
The Artisan Wine Bar featured music from Jay Lapp, A Joe and A Jane and SecondWynd.<\/p>\n
The Wooden Match at 61 W. Lehigh St. was also a popular spot for folks to visit March 14 after the annual Parade of Shamrocks hosted by the Celtic Cultural Alliance.<\/p>\n
Greenberg Lemus, owner of \u201cLa Cocina Del Abuelo\u201d (Grandpa\u2019s Kitchen), prepares tasty Birria tacos for guests ready to celebrate the wearin\u2019 o\u2019 the green at the annual St. Patrick\u2019s Day Block Party March 13 at The Wooden Match. The authentic Mexican restaurant has two locations: 621 W. Hamilton St., Allentown, and 81 W. Broad St., which opened in January. For more information on Grandpa\u2019s Kitchen visit facebook.com\/Lacocinadelabuelo2021\/.<\/p>\n
Younise, left, Rick and his wife Glennie \u2013 the management team of The Wooden Match and Artisan Wine and Cheese Cellars \u2013 serve up smiles to welcome guests. \u201cAs The Wooden Match and Artisan Wine and Cheese Cellars family, we support local, small businesses,\u201d the trio said, happy for the participation of the food trucks and vendors in the March 13-14 event. Vincent Randazzo owns both eateries, which share the same menu, kitchen and staff.<\/p>\n
The Wild Clovers keep the festive mood rolling along with a variety of Irish folk, country and Americana music.<\/p>\n
Jill and Norman Matthews, proprietors of Dinky\u2019s Sliders and Ice Cream Snack Shack, are happy to be first time vendors at the St. Patrick\u2019s Day Block Party. \u201cIt\u2019s a lovely event they put on, getting locals out to sell their products,\u201d Jill Matthews said. For more information on the Bangor-based Dinky\u2019s visit dinkysicecream.com\/.<\/p>\n
A sampling of the Bethlum Shop merchandise available for purchase, including the hanging green sweatshirt that proclaims, \u201cSt. Paddy\u2019s in Bethlum, Let the Shenanigans Begin.\u201d Owner Chrissy Maag makes Bethlum T-shirts and other items as a nod to how many people pronounce the city\u2019s name. For more information visit etsy.com\/shop\/Bethlumshop.<\/p>\n
Jay Lapp entertains in the Artisan Wine and Cheese Cellars with his own style of music, inspired by artists including Stevie Ray Vaughn, Elton John and Dave Matthews.<\/p>\n
press photos by tami quigleyGuests have their ID\u2019s checked as the outdoor celebration begins at The Wooden Match, housed in a historic building dating back to 1868.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Hometown\u201d at the Bethlum Shop was designed by Maag to commemorate Bethlehem\u2019s Main Street being named the Best Main Street in the USA Today 10 Best Readers\u2019 Choice Awards in 2025, and features places that are touchstones of the Christmas City.<\/p>\n
The Artisan Wine and Cheese Cellars features wine, spirits, food and live music inside Bethlehem\u2019s historic freight house at The Wooden Match complex. It is open to the public and available for private parties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It may have been Friday the 13th, but it was all about the luck \u2018o the Irish as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147051,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-147050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}