I want to start by thanking all of our patriotic citizens who applied to our Hometown Heroes banner project.

I have received more than 50 requests for banners, with more arriving every day. I couldn’t be happier with the outpouring of support and love our patrons have shown.

Most importantly now, I need to get all the necessary information to the printer in time to have the banners back in the borough and ready to hang by Veterans Day, Nov. 11. To that point, if you haven’t already, be sure to submit your application and photo at borough hall by Oct. 7.

Once all of the photo scans are approved by the banner manufacturer, I will begin returning the photos to their owners. Any application that arrives after this week will certainly be honored but may not be able to be filled before Veterans Day.

As I mentioned earlier, I will be opening the project up to our hometown police, fire and EMT heroes around April 2023. Again, thank you for supporting this commemorative project.

Last week, I was proud to represent the borough at the D&L Trail ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the North Catasauqua trailhead. The ribbon cutting signified the completion of an additional 1.5 miles of trail between Northampton and North Catasauqua, to the existing 60-plus miles of D&L Trail running north to White Haven.

Attending were borough Manager LeRoy Brobst, public works Supervisor Greg Morey, police Chief Bryan Kadingo and other public officials on every level.

Needless to say, I was very excited to talk about the importance of the trail to our community’s quality of life. It is certainly an asset, bringing many a bike rider or hiker to enjoy this beautiful section of the Lehigh River up close and personal.

If you’re looking to carry a handy D&L Trail map and guide of the Lehigh Valley region, they are available for free in the borough hall lobby, through any of our police bike patrol officers or me, as you see me out riding around town or along the trail.

For our borough’s future plans along the D&L Trail, we still have the riverfront garden project on the front burner, various monarch butterfly stations underway as weather permits, along with plans for a welcome center for trail users. This convenient stop, funded by grants, will be situated in the parking lot across from the gazebo at the north end of the trail.

I hope to see its construction coincide with the building of the new bridge, scheduled to start around March 2023. Stay tuned.

Lastly, it is wonderful to see the colorful Halloween decorations springing up all around town. The creativity is astounding, to say the least, and all in good time for our annual Jack Frost Parade, which will be held Oct. 20.

Along with the parade, the Halloween ritual of trick or treat will be held 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31. I look forward to seeing what exciting, creative and scary costumes our borough children will come up with this year. I know I will not be disappointed.

In the meantime, I hope you’re enjoying the change of seasons and the colorful fall foliage we are blessed to have around us. Be good to each other, and I’ll look forward to seeing you around town.