To the editor:

August is a great month in Coplay. It is a pride month.

We have three important events that have developed into reunions.

On Aug. 3, we had our outstanding St. Peter's Church picnic that bills itself as a reunion. It was well-attended and clearly a reunion. As a St. Peter's School graduate, it was great for me to see people, some of whom I had not seen since last year's picnic. This picnic is beyond a picnic. It has great importance to those who attend and a source of community pride.

The Coplay Town Watch held its 20th annual National Night Out Against Crime Aug. 5. About two dozen volunteers and nearly 300 residents attended the NNO, which featured a vintage car display, a show and tell about four Coplay Fire Department vehicles, three Lehigh County EMA vehicles, and a Cetronia Ambulance, and other activities. This was another excellent well-attended event designed to build fellowship and connection between neighbors. It had the feel of a reunion and many there felt a sense of pride in Coplay.

We have wrapped up August in Coplay for more than 30 years with our excellent Coplay Community Days. This year's festival, Aug. 22-24, promises to be a treasure. There is great food and great entertainment, but most importantly another opportunity for Coplay residents and others to connect and develop a sense of community pride.

It is a pleasure for my family and me to be affiliated as volunteers with all three of these important August events for many years. Some folks in Coplay say they want to "market Coplay and put pride back in Coplay." It is not clear to me where these folks have been the last 20 years. These three August events are a source of community pride as are our three wonderful churches and our beautiful Coplay Sports complex. Our parkway is a gem. Our Ironton Rail-Trail is award winning. Our Town Watch has received national recognition six times. Our American Club of Coplay is unparalleled in its success and appearance. Our Coplay Saengerbund is one of the most popular clubs in the Lehigh Valley, and numerous other small non-governmental organizations too numerous to mention are a source of pride in Coplay.

As a current Coplay Council member and former Coplay mayor, I, like many others in town, have great pride in Coplay. I ask residents to consider two things. Consider joining any volunteer group in Coplay and serve with pride. And, secondly, if you hear anyone say "I want to put pride back in Coplay" tell them to wake up, open their eyes and look around. And, if after opening their eyes remain blind to the pride that exists in Coplay, have them call me and I will gladly introduce them to our "Opportunity Community," the Borough of Coplay.

Bill Leiner Jr.

Coplay Councilman