Happy October, everyone! With the proliferation of Halloween decorations popping up around town and shorter sunlit days, it’s easy to tell the season has changed. While embracing the cooler weather and less sunlight may be challenging, we do have some nice seasonal events on the horizon.

For the early autumn version of our events calendar, let’s start with one of oldest, if not the oldest, Northampton community event — the annual Jack Frost parade. The event is hosted by our friends at the Northampton Exchange Club. Mark your calendars for Oct. 17, starting 7 p.m.

The parade will again follow the route we’ve come to know. Starting at the Northampton Borough Municipal Authority at Clear Springs Drive and Lerchenmiller Drive, it will move onto Smith Lane before taking a right onto Laubach Avenue, up to 19th Street. There, it will take a left onto 19th Street and travel down to Main Street. The parade will take another left and proceed down Main Street, ending at Lerchenmiller Drive.

Grab a few blankets or chairs and get to your favorite spot along that route to enjoy what will certainly be a colorful and enjoyable fall night. If you’d like to be a part of the parade, call Judy Ackerman at 610-261-3509.

Paging down the calendar to an October evening our youth look forward to the most, it’s trick-or-treat night! As per our tradition, 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31 is the designated time to take to our neighborhoods and enjoy a night trick-or-treating.

To the parents, know that we will have a strong police presence patrolling the town to ensure everyone’s safety. I always look forward to patrolling with Chief Kadingo, not only for your safety, but to see the wonderful time families are enjoying and the myriad of inventive, detailed costumes the kids come up with. It’s also heartwarming for me to see the generosity of so many families giving out candy and treats.

Along with the costumes, many innovative decorations and small outdoor parties set for Oct. 31, I’m glad we’re keeping our traditional Halloween spirit alive here in Northampton.

As summer slips away, I’ve been reflecting on the recent Uptown Northampton Street Fair and the wonderful time so many of us enjoyed that September day on Main Street. Along with Northampton Community Days, the Jack Frost parade and Paw Prints on the Canal, it’s been one of our seminal community events for more than 30 years.

Starting with the most perfect late-summer day and complemented with dozens of merchandise vendors, food trucks, talented demonstrations and live musical entertainment, it brought together thousands of our friends and neighbors to share that busy day on Main Street, just strolling, eating and shopping.

I want to wholeheartedly thank the hosts of the fair, the Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce and President Dave Kerper, along with our Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber liaisons, Aaron Gasparetti and Elyse Cuttic, for all of their time and talents organizing this enjoyable seasonal event. Additionally, our public works department gets a huge “thank you” and pat on the back for setting up all the of the infrastructure along Main Street, so necessary for a successful and safe event.

With the participation the local businesses, our police department providing child safety cards to many families and our fire department showing off a firetruck and giving out helmets and gifts for the children, the fair encompassed all the best we have as a borough in a true community spirit. I’m already looking forward to next year’s even bigger and, if even possible, better fair.

On another note, thanks to those who have participated in the Northampton Hometown Hero banner project. If you have not yet picked up your photograph, they are available at borough hall, 1401 Laubach Ave., during normal business hours.

Lastly, as I mentioned in a previous article, I want to again highlight the great new app the borough provides for all of our smartphone users — My Northampton. This app, free of charge, readily brings you the latest notifications and updates, handy borough phone number listings and contacts, along with boroughwide information at your fingertips.

To get the app, just go to your Play Store or App Store, search “My Northampton” and download the application. You’ll be glad you did.

So for now, I hope you will enjoy the beauty of this colorful season each and every day.