The Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber, proud partner of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, is gearing up for a memorable 2020 holiday season!

The Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce (GNLCC), proud partner of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber, is pleased to announce an array of upcoming holiday events!

Kicking off the holiday season is the “30 Days of Giving” campaign to ensure all our neighbors have food on their tables this winter! Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber Board Member, Vickie Beller of Dimmich & Dinkelacker, presented the idea for a reverse advent calendar after seeing a post on social media and suggested a food drive for the month of November. “I really like the items suggested in the ‘30 Days of Giving’ list because none of them cost a ton of money to collect and make a big impact.”

Each day, participants are encouraged to gather a different food item, outlined in the Facebook event or an item of their choosing, such as boxed macaroni and cheese or canned beans, and watch their food donation grow throughout the month. For more information and a list of suggested donations, participants are encouraged to visit the Facebook Event page. Participants can bring the food collected from the 30 Days of Giving to their food pantry of choice or deliver them to the Chamber booths at Slatington Borough and Lehigh Township Tree Lightings to be dispersed on their behalf.

Continuing the long-held Christmas tradition in Slatington, the Slatington Borough’s Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held on December 4^th in Veterans Memorial Park!  The event will be growing this year with additional activities, craft and business vendors, like ColorStreet or Scentsy, a coloring contest for children, dance performances from Rhythm and Sole Dance Studio, and food trucks offering food for purchase. In addition, Lehigh Township will host their inaugural Tree Lighting Event on December 6^th in Bryfogle Park. Both events will feature Santa and the ceremonial lighting of the municipality’s tree.

“After a challenging 2020, we are extremely excited to be celebrating the holidays fully in Greater Northern,” said Kylie Adams, Manager of Affiliated Chambers for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. “Our community events are our favorite events year after year, and 2020 is no different. We are grateful to both Slatington Borough and Lehigh Township for not only providing the opportunity to give back to the community, but allowing us to make changes to our normal programming to accommodate safety concerns, too.”

In typical years, Adams continued, the Chamber has hosted the Tree Lighting in Slatington’s Veterans Memorial Park; the Chamber was able to get permission from Slatington Borough to close a portion of Second Street to ensure social distancing and other safety measures would be in place. “Not only will we be able to spread out more with this precaution, it has allowed us to grow our festival, too!” said Adams. “This year is seeing several more vendors than in years past. We’re also extremely lucky that Bryfogle Park has been opened by Lehigh Township for the tree lighting there. Not only is it a recreational gem, it allows us the space to host a safe event for the township.” At all in-person events, masks will be required and safety guidelines will be enforced.

Kevin Schmidt from Neff’s National Bank, a Sponsor for both tree lightings explained that, “The Neffs National Bank is proud to be a Christmas Tree Lighting sponsor.  We have been involved in the event for many years and its important to bring the community together, especially during this year of uncertainty.  We are more than happy to participate in this and other Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber events.”

In addition to community events, the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber is looking to bring the business community together at Small Business Saturday on November 28th! This national event was started by American Express in 2010 and has become an annual event that supports our local businesses. “Small Business Saturday piggy backs off the holiday shopping frenzy that begins at Thanksgiving with the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday,” said Hayden Rinde, an associate of the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber. “With foot traffic having decreased throughout stores of all kinds this year due to the pandemic, businesses are coming together to offer deals and specials to celebrate this event!” Businesses are encouraged to participate in the Greater Northern Lehigh Shop Local Coupon Sheet, which will be used to cross-promote businesses throughout the region, and to order their free Shop Small “swag” from American Express. For more information or to participate, reach out to Kylie Adams at kyliea@lehighvalleychamber.org.

Finally, our collection of holiday events adds a brand-new event this year: The Greater Northern Lehigh House Decorating Contest! The contest is designed to bring a little extra holiday spirit to the community. Residents of Slatington Borough, Walnutport Borough and Washington Township are invited decorate the exterior of their homes before or during Thanksgiving weekend and submit their addresses for the judging on December 2nd. The winner will be announced at the Slatington Tree Lighting event on Friday December 4th!

For more information on all events, please visit the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NorthernLehighChamber.

Please note: An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending a Chamber event or meeting, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce including partnerships; the event venue; or other parties such as caterer or production company; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury.

When: 

• 30 Days of Giving Food Drive: November 1-30, drop off locations at the Slatington or Lehigh Township Tree Lightings
• Small Business Saturday: November 28, 2020
• Greater Northern Lehigh House Decorating Contest: Judging takes place December 2, winner announced at Slatington Tree Lighting
• Slatington Borough Tree Lighting: December 4, 2020 (5-8 PM)
• Lehigh Township Tree Lighting: December 6, 2020 (5:30 – 7:30 PM)

Pricing Information: FREE

Sponsors: 

Slatington Tree Lighting Sponsors: Bechtel’s Pharmacy (Coloring Page Sponsor), Neffs National Bank (Santa’s Helper Sponsor), Rentschler’s Auto (Santa’s Helper Sponsor), Home Helpers of the Northern Lehigh Valley (Santa’s Helper Sponsor), Bob & Nancy Treskot (Hot Chocolate Sponsor), Crayola Experience (Creativity Sponsor), EBC Printing (Coloring Page Sponsor)

Lehigh Township Tree Lighting Sponsors: Home Helpers of the Northern Lehigh Valley (Christmas Spirit Sponsor), Keystone Technology LLC (Santa’s Helper Sponsor), Neffs National Bank (Santa’s Helper Sponsor), Crayola Experience (Creativity Sponsor), EBC Printing (Coloring Page Sponsor)

About the Chamber:The mission of The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce is to improve the economy and quality of life in the Lehigh Valley Metropolitan Area.  We accomplish this through business-to-business networking events and marketing products, affinity programs and exclusive, money saving member benefits, training programs, government affairs initiatives and public policy advocacy, and community development enterprises.  With nearly 5,000 members who employ more than 200,000, the Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top ten nationwide. 

 
Information provided to TVL by:
Kylie Adams
Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
Manager of Affiliated Chambers (WACC, GNLCC)
https://www.lehighvalleychamber.org/

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