The next North Catasauqua Borough Council meeting will be held 7 p.m. Jan. 6 in the basement-level meeting room at borough hall, 1066 Fourth St.

The meeting will be a hybrid meeting, with both in-person and virtual options. Visit northcatasauqua.org for the access code to view the meeting virtually.

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Reminder: Hokendauqua Trout Unlimited is holding a fly-tying course, starting Jan. 4, and running for eight consecutive Saturdays at Northampton Area Middle School, 1617 Laubach Ave., Northampton.

All materials and tools will be provided. The course is free and open to the public.

For more information and registration, contact Dale Ott at 610-262-7598 or visit hokendauqua.tu.org/hokendauqua/fly-tying-course.

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The winners of the annual 2024 Deck Your Halls Holiday Home Decorating Awards are 1337 Woodmont Lane for first-place large residence, 1024 Third St. for first-place small residence, 1152 Eighth St. for second place, 1007 Third St. for third place and 1341 Woodmont Lane for judge’s honorable mention. Congratulations!

Also, check out the 2024 North Catasauqua small Town USA holiday lights self-tour route to see the Christmas lights and displays. The tour travels throughout North Catasauqua and showcases displays of the residents, as well as the borough holiday displays. More than 150 snowflakes on the street poles help to guide the way through the night. The self-tour route is available on the North Catasauqua Facebook page.

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Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, 604 Fourth St., Catasauqua, is once again holding its Warm-up Wednesdays initiative.

Every Wednesday through March, there will be free soup 4-6 p.m. for the church family and community, merged with weekly games, karaoke and puzzle nights 6-8 p.m.

Come out for a very enjoyable evening!

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Consider contributing to Catasauqua Area Food Bank, 527 Front St., which is accepting donations. Items that are especially in need include jelly and jam, shelf-stable milk, granola bars, canned soup, rice or noodle side dishes, canned fruits, cereals, toiletries and canned vegetables. Monetary donations are also accepted.

If you have any questions, call 610-264-8366.

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Join the Girl Scouts. Make new friends, develop leadership skills, build confidence, enjoy outdoor fun and get a sense of family connection.

To start a new adventure in the Girl Scouts, visit GSEP.org/join. For more information, email Katey at KLandry-Johnston@gsep.org.

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Looking for a unique item or a bargain? Stop by Catasauqua Community Thrift Shop, 113 Bridge St. The shop’s hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The thrift shop is happy to accept donations of good used clean clothing and household items and toys during regular store hours. Proceeds are returned to the community through contributions that support youth and adult programs and services.

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Holiday events in the area, such as the Operation Secret Santa and the Biery House Holiday Shoppe, were a success. Thank you to all involved in helping the community celebrate the holidays.

Take some time to visit North Catasauqua William J. Albert Memorial Park, 701 Grove St., before the holiday season ends to view the holiday light displays. A big thank you and a job well done to the borough public works department for making the park sparkle and shine with the holiday lights and decorations.

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North Catasauqua Police Department reminds residents to help protect the children of our community by slowing down and obeying school bus stopping laws when traveling through the borough. Give yourself extra time to get to work, home or to an appointment when schools are in session.

For more information about school bus stopping laws, visit the North Catasauqua Police Department Facebook page, which shares information about school bus stopping laws and penalties.

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The borough is hiring a part-time office assistant. This person will perform diversified duties such as customer service, payables, filing, answering the phone, coordination of the rental, home sale inspection processes and various office duties.

Qualified candidates must be able to adapt and learn new tasks quickly. Candidates will need a high school diploma, excellent written and verbal skills, strong attention to detail, computer and internet skills and the ability to use a variety of office equipment. The pay rate is $18 an hour.

The borough office is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and this position will be up to 20-25 hours per week. There is availability within office hours to choose your own schedule, although flexibility is required to cover as needed.

Applications can be picked up and submitted to the borough office.

Contact the office at 610-264-1504 with any questions.

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St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 122 Union St., Catasauqua, offers a biweekly grief support gathering. This is a nondenominational gathering that offers conversation and support for those who have lost their spouse.

The group will next meet 10 a.m. every other week.

To become a part of the next gathering, email the parish office at kim.stmarys122@gmail.com or call 610-264-0332. All group participation is confidential.

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Join Scouting America with a program that promotes youth leadership, community service, environmental conservation, good citizenship and an appreciation of the outdoors. Scouting America Troop 94 welcomes boys and girls ages 12 and above.

Meetings are held 7-8:30 p.m. Mondays at Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church.

For more information, email cattytroop94@yahoo.com.

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North Catasauqua Hometown Heroes banners are a great way to honor or remember a relative or anyone who served in any branch of the military. A photo of the individual to be put on the banner will be needed, with the name of the individual on the back of the photo.

Banners will be installed and hung on various streets in the borough. Banner application forms are available at borough hall during regular business hours.

For more information, cost or any questions, call borough hall at 610-264-1504, ext. 4.

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Borough businesses and residents are reminded that leaf collection in the borough has ended. Leaves to be discarded should be put in garbage bags and placed with the regular trash collection.

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State Rep. Zach Mako, R-183rd, is making residents aware more retirees are now eligible for reduced-fee vehicle registration. The benefit will now be available to retired people earning up to $29,906.

Those who qualify will pay an $11 processing fee to register their vehicle each year, rather than the standard $45 registration fee.

Qualified applicants must be retired and receiving Social Security or other pension payments. The applicant must be listed as an owner on the vehicle’s registration and only one vehicle per qualified applicant may be registered for the reduced fee. Qualifying vehicles must be a passenger car or truck with a registered gross weight of not more than 9,000 pounds.

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Thank you to all of the residents, community organizations, local churches and borough officials for providing information and happenings in small Town USA throughout the past year. As a lifelong resident of the borough, it is my pleasure to keep all of my readers informed about what is going on and happening in our community.

I look forward to informing the residents of everything going on in North Catasauqua in 2025. Thank you again and keep the news coming!

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If you would like something to be included in the North Catasauqua column, submit it to me at least two weeks in advance, especially if a certain date is involved with your submission. I can be reached by email at ncatacentennial@aol.com.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and joyous new year. Cheers to 2025! Have a great week ahead.