The Lower Milford Township Fall Festival will mark its 20th anniversary Sept. 24.

The event is scheduled 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the township municipal building, 7607 Chestnut Hill Church Road.

The festival traditionally features animal exhibits, music performances and area vendors, crafters and artisans.

For the adventurous, hot air balloon rides and tractor rides will be available. Other highlights include a photo booth, face painting, a silent auction and food trucks for most every appetite. A display on protecting local waterways also will be featured.

A new offering this year is a birdhouse decorating contest. The contest is open to all ages. Those wishing to participate may stop by the township building for details. Birdhouses will be displayed during the festival.

Volunteers also are needed to help make the festival a success. A minimum two-hour commitment is preferred and tasks vary from helping to set up the festival grounds Sept. 23 to volunteering your time the day of the festival. Contact the township office for information and to register to help.

According to 2021 data, more than 3,000 visitors attended the festival, an event record. Your attendance could help organizers topple last year’s achievement so consider coming out.

Looking ahead to October, Upper Milford Township will host a community open house noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 1.

The event will be held at the municipal building, 5671 Chestnut St.

The event will include a visit by Smokey Bear, mascot of the U.S. Fire Service, as well as opportunities to meet Upper Milford’s volunteer firefighters and learn about equipment used to fight fires in the township.

Crews from Emmaus and Macungie ambulance corps also are slated to attend.

Come show your support for area first responders, any of whom may also be your neighbor.

In traveling to and from either or both events, please note Pennsylvania Department of Transportation bridges in both townships remain closed for replacement and construction.

According to the Lower Milford Township website, work on the Cassel Road bridge is expected to continue through Nov. 4.

The detour to accommodate work on the bridge over the Northeast Extension on Vera Cruz Road in Upper Milford Township remains in place.

In other road matters, motorists should remain extra vigilant now that schools are open for the year. Students may be waiting for or exiting buses in the early morning and late afternoon.

Upper Milford Township will offer residents a fee-based roadside yard collection program in November.

The program is a supplement to the drop-off site at the municipal center. Collection dates are Nov. 7-12.

To use the roadside service residents will be required to purchase a yard waste pick up sticker at a cost of $1 per sticker for each container or bundle to be picked up by the township. Stickers are available for purchase at the township office.

Items accepted for the program are: leaves, tree and plant trimmings, tree limbs and branches less than 4 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter, garden and flower bed plant materials.

Items not eligible for the program are: grass clippings, garbage, tree stumps, animal waste, lumber, dirt, sod, rocks and trash.

Acceptable materials must be placed in open containers no larger than 32 gallons and with a total weight of less than 50 pounds. Limbs and branches meeting the requirements should be tied in bundles, 48x18x18 inches and weighing 50 pounds or less. Ties for the bundles must be biodegradable.

Those residents wanting to use the service must contact the township office by phone at 610-966-3223, by fax at 610-966-5184 or by email at info@uppermilford.net to schedule a pickup.

For additional details, visit the township website at www.uppermilford.net.

The Upper Milford Township Supervisors next meet 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at the township building and via Zoom. Visit the township website for details.

The Lower Milford Township Supervisors next meet 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at the township building.