Good morning, Allentown.

South Whitehall Township Police held 'Last Splash' on Aug.

21 at Covered Bridge Park using Cetronia’s Tower 3 plus fire tankers from Woodlawn, Greenawalds and Tri-Clover to spray 6,000 gallons of water for local children from Fogelsville Active Learning Center to enjoy a fun end-of-summer water play.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo said its young African penguin (Fritz) died unexpectedly after intensive care for pneumonia, following a brief return to his indoor habitat with the colony.

Staff are conducting further tests to determine his official cause of death.

Tricky the Fox, Pocono Raceway’s mascot, visited Reilly Children’s Hospital on Thursday and donated 40 racing-themed stuffed animals and activity kits (designed to bring cheer to young patients), continuing his visits since 2018.

Upper Macungie Township launches fall fitness programs.

Zumba Gold runs from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Fridays from Sept. 18 to Oct. 23 at the Community Lifestyle Center, plus a free intro karate workshop for kids on Sept. 19 in Trexlertown.

On Friday afternoon, the Allentown Fair hosted Inclusive Day for fairgoers who prefer dimmer lights and lower noise; they enjoyed rides, food, and games over two hours (a nod to the event's 2025 success).

Organizers said the change offered a quieter, more welcoming experience.

Morgenland Church in Orefield will host its annual fall picnic from 4–8 p.m. Sept.

26 (rain date Sept. 27, 2–6 p.m.) with live music by Midnight Special, food, a cake walk, and a raffle. Hoagie and barbecue orders are accepted until Oct. 4 and Oct. 22.

On Aug. 27, fire chiefs, volunteer firefighters, and state officials met at the Allentown Fire Academy to discuss staffing, funding, and training challenges facing local fire departments.

They said mergers and increased mutual aid (a quick response boost) may help meet growing demands.

Gigi & Alex Restaurant, a family-run eatery, will have soft openings on Friday, Sept.

11 from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 12 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 605 Main St. in Hellertown before its grand opening on Sunday with a 9 a.m. ribbon cutting.

At the Great Allentown Fair, thousands of fans enjoyed a live grandstand concert last Friday night featuring local country stars Kendal Conrad and Warren Zeiders.

The fair continues this Labor Day weekend — offering more musical acts, fair treats, and local tradition for visitors.

Chobani announced its planned $1.2B investment in Upper Macungie Township on Sept.

1 at Crystal Spring Farm in Schnecksville, and the project will create over 900 full-time jobs over five years — boosting the local dairy industry by processing 3 billion pounds of milk annually.

Northwestern Elementary welcomed incoming kindergarten students and families to an orientation event on Aug.

18. Families met teachers (Wendy White and Jordan Wessner) and Principal Krista Keys, toured classrooms, and rode the bus to prepare for the school year.

Muhlenberg College is ranked No. 163 nationally and No. 49 in the northeast on Washington Monthly’s Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars list.

Its outcomes, with an 82% graduation rate and 95% career or study success, show a high return on investment.

The state DOH confirmed 577 measles cases in 37 counties after reporting 80 new cases since Aug.

31. The agency is boosting vaccination efforts by giving more than 3,700 MMR shots at 100 pop-up clinics.