While lacking some of the locally historically relevant events of the previous year, 2025 was still one of change, especially to the downtowns, which lost familiar structures to gentrifying accommodations.<\/p>\n
2025 also marked the 21st year of the Bethlehem Press\u2019 production, the seventh time we won the Sweepstakes at the Pa. News Media Awards, and the 10th annual Year in Review by yours truly.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look back at some of the highs and lows from the last year as covered by your weekly hometown newspaper.<\/p>\n
JANUARY<\/p>\n
\u2022 Actor and Bethlehem native Danny Roebuck returned to participate in the city\u2019s 56th annual Advent Breakfast.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Avian flu is found in local snow geese, and spreads to wildcats, specialists warn.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Dream Boyd Theatre Apartments opens on Broad Street downtown; the old venue\u2019s marquee the only physical reminder of 85 years of entertainment.<\/p>\n
\u2022 A Gorman & Associates auditor finds nothing amiss in the current operations of the Bethlehem Area School District; a vast improvement from a decade earlier when the district was deeply in the red.<\/p>\n
FEBRUARY<\/p>\n
\u2022 Renovations finally begin at Trinity Episcopal Church on Market Street after a destructive water main break in December 2023.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Lehigh Valley police officials, including city Chief Michelle Kott, speak during a panel at DeSales University about modern law enforcement challenges and the constant truism that consistent contact between officers and community members builds relationships and trust that matter.<\/p>\n
\u2022 An ongoing series discusses changes and expectations about the leveling and replacement of the Southside\u2019s longtime arts center The Banana Factory, including the whereabouts of its many paying studio artists.<\/p>\n
\u2022 With last year\u2019s Moravian Church World Heritage status set, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites announces new and improved tours of its now world-famous facilities.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Freezer Ministry grows its service, community connections and prepared meals for the needy and homebound through local Moravian Churches and beyond.<\/p>\n
MARCH<\/p>\n
\u2022 After 48 years, the Boutique at the Rink cancer fundraiser moves from Bethlehem\u2019s Municipal Ice Rink to South Whitehall Township, and its name changed to \u201cBoutique for Hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Downtown stable Darto\u2019s restaurant serves its last breakfast and lunch dishes after 41 years. Facing a new lease, owners Stephanie and Mike Dartouzos are ready for retirement.<\/p>\n
APRIL<\/p>\n
\u2022 Area barbers discuss the future of their trade and the rarity of much-sought \u2018scissor cuts\u2019 in an age of electric clippers.<\/p>\n
\u2022 City police approach the Minsi Trail Bridge-area homeless camp at Charlie\u2019s Clearing about trash leavings, initiating months of concern and arguments between residents and property owner Norfolk Southern Railroad. By year\u2019s end, the camp was demolished and the homeless were forced from the area to seek shelter elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Saucon Park, renovated and improved, reopens entirely for the fist time since a destructive flood in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Bethlehem earns the USA Today poll for Best Main Street in America.<\/p>\n
MAY<\/p>\n
\u2022 A rooftop blaze engulfs a number of homes in the new Five 10 Flats luxury apartments on East Third Street. Bethlehem\u2019s Fire Department was joined by at least three other departments to combat the four-alarm fire. First-floor restaurants suffered severe water damage and were closed for repairs for several months.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Historic Architecture Review Board approved a plan to build additional stories atop Main Street\u2019s iconic 1930s Woolworth Building.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The $1 million restoration of the Miller\u2019s House in the Colonial Industrial Quarter is completed and open to the public.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Lehigh Valley Autism Society brings its community together for the first Autism Walk and other activities at Saucon Park.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Two retired State Police officers open The Green House Tea Room in Fountain Hill, a 1920s-style d\u00e9cor house with comfy sitting rooms for tea and snacks.<\/p>\n
JUNE<\/p>\n
\u2022 Yosko Park dedicates a bench in the memory of Richard \u201cBucky\u201d Szulborski, a former city council member and Northampton County controller, who was a resident and proponent of the Southside who belonged to many local organizations.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Amid an increase of federal ICE activities, arrests, and deportations nationwide, we begin a multipart analysis of legal rights of immigrants \u2013 citizens and residents alike, who might be caught up in sweeps. During this time, ICE reveals details of a June 11 Southside raid, which involved the FBI, about which Mayor William Reynolds said local police had little information and no control, and who do not participate or consider immigration enforcement their affair.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Following an audit of Gracedale Nursing Home, Northampton County Council confronts Executive Lamont McClure about an unaccounted $5 million in pandemic-era employee retention funds. Further contention arises whether it was an error of overextended overtime bonuses or if the audit itself was politically motivated. Despite this, the county\u2019s economic future is considered \u201crobust.\u201d<\/p>\n
JULY<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Valley Forge Rug Braiding Guild hand makes old-fashioned rugs for Revolution-era historic sites such as the Sun Inn, at which revolutionaries such as George and Martha Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette spent time after fleeing Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The new Fountain Hill ES breaks ground. The $62 million project is expected to take two years, during which time students will be bussed to the former Lehigh Valley Academy Charter School in Hanover Township.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Lehigh County corrections officers voice their frustration with severe staffing issues and the secession of a temporary wage hike, for which they were grateful but didn\u2019t want to do without.<\/p>\n
\u2022 We outline a lengthy guide to state and local savings programs for seniors facing a Social Security crunch.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Hotel Bethlehem is nominated best historic hotel in the country for the fifth consecutive year. It eventually wins, as its mural gallery also earns historic acknowledgement.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Chemo Bag cancer assistance and fundraising program marks its ninth successful year.<\/p>\n
AUGUST<\/p>\n
\u2022 The always colorful Southside gets a new mural, Harmony with Health, in the 300 block of Broadway.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Musikfest enjoys its 42nd year, and we delve into a nonmusical attraction: The food. From decades-long staples like Theo\u2019s Gyros to newcomers such as Pat\u2019s Pizza and the Slide on By food truck, local vendors are key to keeping up one\u2019s energy between all the free concerts.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Services and budgeting decisions are crippled across the commonwealth as Harrisburg\u2019s state budget is delayed more than seven weeks. Counties and school districts fret and make backup plans while the impasse continues until Nov. 12.<\/p>\n
SEPTEMBER<\/p>\n
\u2022 Local Ukrainians gather at Payrow Plaza to celebrate the 34th anniversary of the country\u2019s independence, even as Ukraine battles through its third year against Russia\u2019s stalled conquest.<\/p>\n
\u2022 BASD Superintendent Dr. Jack Silva explains a new mobile phone policy for the district, keeping kids free of devices during the school day.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It has been 60 years since the Colonial Industrial Quarter downtown was founded, preserving the now-historic old structures along the Monocacy Creek.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Lehigh County Commissioners are divided over member Zach Cole-Borghi \u2013 a city of Bethlehem employee who had recently been arrested in a wide drug sweep. Cole-Borghi maintains his innocence, but was fired from his job and decided to remain on the county board.<\/p>\n
OCTOBER<\/p>\n
\u2022 About 100 members of the Freedom and Liberty HS classes of 1968 meet at Green Pond Country Club for a collective 75th birthday celebration.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Local merchants and vendors are feeling the pain as the presidential administration\u2019s sweeping international tariffs increase costs and delay deliveries.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Promoting harmony and reconciliation after a wave of shootings across the country, a vigil for peace and healing is held at St. John\u2019s United Church of Christ in Bethlehem Township. Weeks later, about 5,000 people marched downtown to Payrow Plaza in a peaceful No Kings rally, part of a same-day effort estimated at 7 million attendees at 2,700 events nationwide.<\/p>\n
\u2022 ArtsQuest announces the 15th annual Oktoberfest was a smashing success, with about 48,000 people visiting during the two-weekend event.<\/p>\n
NOVEMBER<\/p>\n
\u2022 Mighty Pawz, a Stefko Boulevard doggy day care with its own animal rescue section, earns Astound Business Solutions\u2019 nationwide Community Impact Award. A month later, however, the small company is in dire straights due to constant roadwork cutting it off from clients and performing rescues.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Northampton County Council votes against a TIF that would have supported plans to finally redevelop the Dixie Cup plant. Those voting against said it would represent too great a financial risk.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Tucker rides for the last time. For 15 years Tucker\u2019s Toy Run has brought hundreds of motorcyclists to St. Luke\u2019s Hospital facilities bearing gifts for pediatric patients across the valley.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The East Hills MS band is invited to march in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day parade.<\/p>\n
DECEMBER<\/p>\n
\u2022 Current and retired city firefighters and their Local 735 question city council about safety concerns, offering data showing too few firefighters on duty in recent years is affecting response times and operational safety.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The new Walnut Street Parking Garage opens, replacing a decades-old and poorly maintained predecessor, though not without neighborhood concern for the new building\u2019s size, commercial uses and fewer parking spaces offered.<\/p>\n
\u2022 At the annual Linny Awards in support of local arts, the youngest of the evening\u2019s winners is 16-year-old Jada Amirah Lewis of Bethlehem Township, Volunteer of the Year.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Bethlehem Municipal Band Director Donald Kemmerer retires after wielding the baton for 36 years.<\/p>\n
PRESS PHOTO BY ED COURRIERWith the former Banana Factory Arts Center campus at 25 W. Third St., Bethlehem a field of mud, gravel and memories following demolition, ArtsQuest began the site\u2019s new life as the new Creative Factory Powered by PPL at the June 17 groundbreaking celebration. The occasional drizzle failed to dampen enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
Press photo by Lori PatrickIn the spirit of keeping history alive, co-organizers Frankie West and Bill Rowe planned a two chartered bus trip to Washington, D.C., Jan. 11 from Bethlehem. The goal and mission was to bring kids from Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem along with members of the Trexler Middle School basketball teams to visit several landmarks and institutions. Above: Co-Organizer and volunteer Frankie West spent time speaking to the kids under the towering Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the tour teaching them the principles and ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
Press photo by Douglas GravesRestoration work continued at Trinity Episcopal Church on East Market Street. On the night of Dec. 26, 2023, the water main broke forcing water under the building which such force that huge 12 by 24 foot concrete slabs comprising the ground floor were heaved up. At one point, according to Greg Wielgus from the Alvin H. Butz Company, the water was 5 feet deep in the former gym which had been converted into classrooms for Sunday school.<\/p>\n
Press photo by Dana GrubbAfter 50 years\u2014and nearly as many sales\u2014at the Bethlehem Municipal Ice Rink, the cancer charity heretofore known as Boutique at the Rink relocated to St. Luke\u2019s SportsPlex in South Whitehall Township for its 2025 sale.<\/p>\n
Press photo by Nate JastrzemskiOn Wednesday, March 26 at 3:53 p.m. the Bethlehem Police Department was alerted to a suspicious package at the North St. parking garage, located at 85 W. North St. A safety perimeter was put into place and the Bethlehem Fire Department\u2019s bomb squad was called in to evaluate the package. The Bethlehem bomb squad was able to inspect the package\u2019s contents and deem it not to be a threat.<\/p>\n
Press photo by Nate JastrzemskiA USA Today poll listed downtown Bethlehem as the best downtown in the country. Bethlehem\u2019s historic Main Street beat out well-known locations like Salem, Massachusetts, Lake Placid, New York, and Cooperstown, New York to claim the \u201cBest Main Street\u201d crown in USA Today\u2019s 10 Best Main Street competition.<\/p>\n
Press photo by Douglas GravesAn hour-long debate between challenger Grace Crampsie-Smith and incumbent Mayor J. William Reynolds was moderated by Lehigh Valley News reporters Tom Shortall and Will Oliver at the PBS 39 studio in South Bethlehem April 28. Reynolds won the Primary Election in May and the General Election in November.<\/p>\n
Press photo by Dana GrubbThe restored Grist Miller\u2019s House, located in the Colonial Industrial Quarter next to the Luckenbach Mill, was dedicated on April 25 with a ceremonial ribbon cutting after a substantial restoration project, and is now open with a number of colonial industrial exhibits inside.<\/p>\n
Press photo by Lani Goins\u201cHarmony with Health,\u201d a beautiful new mural on the Southside, is the creation of artist and teacher Carla Majczan. She wanted to call attention to the fact that South Bethlehem exists in a food desert.<\/p>\n
Press photo COURTESY OF Carissa SeringA group of friends took the lyrics of The Prayer of St. Francis into their hearts and joined together for a Candlelight Vigil for Peace and Healing Sept. 28 at St. John\u2019s United Church of Christ (UCC) Bethlehem Township (Farmersville), gathering to honor all recent victims of violence and hatred in an effort to promote unity, harmony and the reconciliation of this nation.<\/p>\n
Press photo by Dana GrubbTucker\u2019s Toy Run organizer Rick Nauman leads the procession as it arrives at St. Luke\u2019s. Nauman began the toy run in memory of his friend Tucker Stuart, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2011. Tucker\u2019s Toy Run has grown from an initial 60 or so motorcycles into the highly impactful support provided by nearly 1,000 motorcycle riders. This was the 15th and last Tucker\u2019s Toy Run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While lacking some of the locally historically relevant events of the previous year, 2025 was still one of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79349,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":{"0":"post-79348","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allentown","8":"tag-allentown","9":"tag-allentown-headlines","10":"tag-allentown-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79348","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=79348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}