Now that Labor Day is behind us, baseball season winds down, football starts up and pumpkin spice is everywhere, I guess it’s time to begrudgingly say farewell to the summer of 2024. What a nice summer it was.

We experienced plenty of sunshine, leading to a nice, steady turnout for our swimming pool and park attendance, an ever-increasing stream of customers at our weekly farmers market, the Route 329 bridge construction pushing ahead and the completion of three new monarch butterfly gardens along the canal path, with more to come. All in all, it’s good to see our town growing with the richer quality of life we so enjoy.

Despite all of these wonderful things happening throughout the borough, we have to put one check mark in the negative column though. As of Aug. 30, our longtime borough manager, LeRoy Brobst, has retired.

Needless to say, the knowledge and expertise regarding borough matters he amassed during his 57-year career will be sorely missed and certainly never matched. If there was a job as a borough employee, Brobst performed it. To sit down and have a discussion with the man meant you’d hear some of the most interesting anecdotes of those experiences, along with an interesting, colorful history lesson of Northampton.

I will miss those conversations the most, as they always found a way to take me back to my youth.

Beyond his borough employment, Brobst is an overachieving, proud family man, an introspective Vietnam veteran, a cigar aficionado and as true a Northampton neighbor as you’ll ever find, always up for a hearty laugh. Along with all the well-deserved accolades, well wishes and proclamations bestowed on him these past two weeks, I want to personally wish him the happiest and healthiest retirement possible.

In that same vein, I welcome Brian Welsko as our new borough manager. I wish Welsko a very successful and rewarding career as I look to continue working closely with him and our staff in building a better Northampton.

Speaking of a better Northampton, how about a more family-friendly, fun Northampton, too? Mark your calendar for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 14 as our Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the 2024 edition of the Uptown Street Fair!

Running for more than 30 years, this fair encompasses Main Street from 16th Street at the Gin Mill all the way up to 21st Street at Assante Restaurant. You’ll find more than 100 vendors of every shape and size, plenty of food trucks to satisfy any appetite and an array of music and talent demonstrations to keep your interest throughout the day.

I, myself, consider it the official start of my Christmas shopping, as I regularly find many a great, unique buy while strolling the fair.

Additionally, our police department will be offering free child ID cards for the safety of your youngsters. The fire department will showcase a fire truck and other equipment.

As one of the premier events in Northampton, this fair brings us together as a community, centered around our beloved Roxy Theatre and uptown business district. Make it a day on Main Street, and I’ll look forward to seeing you there!

If you were tuned in to the Aug. 15 borough council meeting, you’d have heard me unveil my next initiative, following the success of the Hometown Heroes project. This new project will be the painting of historic Northampton murals on some of our more prominent buildings in town.

This initiative, though only at the seedling stage, is already gaining steam. I’ll be bringing you many more details about this ambitious undertaking in next month’s article. From the early reviews, though, everyone I’ve brought on board so far is very excited about the prospect and the addition of some incredibly colorful, vibrant paintings along our borough landscapes.

In the meantime, continue to enjoy this wonderful seasonal weather we’re having, continue to support all of our local businesses and activities, and above all, be a great friend and neighbor to all. Take care!