All North Catasauqua Borough residents from both borough voting wards will vote at borough hall, 1066 Fourth St., in the upcoming primary election in May.

Slovak Center Social Club will not be an election polling place for the upcoming primary election.

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With the Easter holiday approaching, Catasauqua Area Food Bank, 527 Front St., is accepting ham donations. Donations may be dropped off during open hours, 3-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays.

Additional items that are especially in need include pasta, cereal, soup, rice, stuffing, instant potatoes, granola bars and peanut butter crackers. Monetary donations are also accepted.

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

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St. John Fisher Catholic Church, 1229 Third St., has announced its Easter Holy Week schedule.

An evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be held 7 p.m. April 17, with Adoration at the Repository until 11 p.m.

A celebration of the Lord’s Passion will take place 3 p.m. April 18.

A blessing of Easter foods and baskets will be held noon April 19 and a solemn Easter vigil is set for 8 p.m.

Mass will take place 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 20.

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Catasauqua Community Thrift Shop, 113 Bridge St., will have a bag sale on everything in the shop through April 17. You can fill either a large brown paper bag or a large white plastic garbage bag for a small price.

The shop will be closed April 18 and 19 for Easter. The changeover from fall and winter clothing to spring and summer clothing will occur April 21-23. The shop will reopen with all new clothing April 24.

The regular store hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Shop volunteers are happy to accept donations of good, used, clean clothing, household items and toys during store hours. Proceeds from the shop are returned to the community through contributions that support youth and adult programs and services.

Note: Any donations or checks to the thrift shop must be written to Catasauqua Community Partnership or CCPI and not to the thrift shop, due to banking regulations.

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Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, 604 Fourth St., Catasauqua, will hold its free community egg hunt 10 a.m. April 19. The hunt, for ages 1-6, will be held rain or shine.

Bingo is for ages 1-12, and an adult must stay with the child.

For information, text or call 610-739-6006. Reservations are required as space is limited.

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St. John Fisher Catholic Church will hold a blessing of the Easter foods and baskets noon April 19.

The different foods placed inside the basket have different meanings related to Easter with regard to Easter and Slovakia. A traditional basket usually contains smoked meats, sausage, butter, hrudka (a sweet custard-like cheese), bread, salt, horseradish and pysanky eggs. One of the main items in the basket is paska, the Easter bread. It is often the centerpiece of the traditional Easter basket that is blessed.

Since Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians fast during Lent, the food in the basket is generally not eaten until after Mass on Easter Sunday. Each food item in the basket is symbolic of a religious theme.

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Presbyterian Church of Catasauqua, 210 Pine St., will hold a free community lunch 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. April 21 at the church. The free community lunch is given to folks in the community with food insecurity or those who could use a helping hand.

The church is also accepting donations for the Roughie Pantry. The pantry is currently accepting shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, body wash, tampons, sanitary napkins, etc.

Collection bins are located at the church entrances.

For more information or to make a donation, call Gail Burfeind at 717-379-0926.

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The next North Catasauqua Borough Council meeting will be held 7 p.m. April 21 in the basement-level meeting room at borough hall, 1066 Fourth St. This meeting is subject to cancellation, so check the borough website at northcatasauqua.org for any changes.

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

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The borough will be having an electronics recycling day 4-6 p.m. April 23 at the public works complex, 1460 Main St. The event is open to North Catasauqua residents only. For everyone’s safety, remain in your car.

A number of items can be recycled free of charge, while there is a fee for some larger items. Additional destruction services are offered for a fee. Cash or checks are accepted; have exact change or a check prepared and made out to Responsible Recycling Services.

For more information, visit responsiblerecyclingservices.com.

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Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church will hold its 18th annual Victorian tea April 26. There will be tea treats, which include three breads, four sandwiches, four desserts and tea. There will also be door prizes, some wreaths for a raffle and special prizes.

There is a cost, and space is limited.

Call Janis at 610-440-0073 for more information or to make a reservation.

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State Rep. Zach Mako, R-183rd, will host a free shredding event, set for 10 a.m.-noon April 26 at Northampton Banquet and Event Center, 1601 Laubach Ave. No RSVP is required.

The event is to help safeguard residents against identity theft by having their personal documents securely destroyed. Acceptable items at the shredding event include all paper and manila folders. No more than four bags or boxes per household are permitted. Staples or paper clips do not need to be removed.

Examples of items that can be brought to the event include documents that contain personal information, including birth dates, Social Security numbers, bank account information and credit card numbers. Information also will be provided about consumer protection and identity theft at the events.

Enter Smith Lane and take Pany Drive to the event. Exit on Laubach Avenue.

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St. John Fisher Church is sponsoring a Kauffman’s BBQ takeout chicken dinner. The dinner includes half a chicken, baked potato, coleslaw and cookies.

Pickup will be 4-6 p.m. April 30 in the church parking lot. No need to get out of your car; just drive into the parking lot, and your meal will be handed to you.

Order forms are available at the church, or you may order by calling the church office at 610-264-1972.

Orders are due by April 20. There is a cost.

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St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 122 Union St., Catasauqua, will hold a spring cash bingo, set for May 4 in the parish center. Doors and kitchen open 11:30 a.m., with bingo beginning 1 p.m.

There is a cost, which includes 15 games, six specials and one jackpot round. Bring your daubers, but no hardboards.

No outside food or drinks are permitted. The kitchen will be selling your favorites.

Reservations are encouraged by emailing kim.stmarys122@gmail.com or calling 610-264-0332.

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Mako would like to make residents aware the voter registration deadline is May 5. Pennsylvanians who are not already registered to vote but wish to participate in the May 20 municipal primary election should be sure to register no later May 5.

To be eligible to vote in the primary, you must be a citizen of the United States for at least one month before the election; a resident of the election district in which you register to vote for at least 30 days before the primary; and at least 18 years of age on or before the date of the primary.

Under state law, only voters registered as Republicans or Democrats may vote for candidates in the primary election. Citizens may register to vote by visiting your county voter registration office.

Voters who prefer to vote by mail-in or absentee ballots have until May 13 to apply for the ballots and until 8 p.m. May 20 to return it.

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The Catasauqua and North Catasauqua J4 Committee is looking for new members and volunteers to help organize the community celebration of our country’s 250th anniversary, which will occur in 2026. The next meeting will be held 7 p.m. May 13 at borough hall.

Any North Catasauqua resident interested in joining to help plan the celebration or volunteer is asked to attend a meeting or email the committee at cattyareaJ4@gmail.com and provide your contact information.

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Visit the North Catasauqua Little Free Library book-exchange box located at borough hall, in the front entrance area. With the arrival of spring and upcoming Easter holiday, new books, coloring pages and activity pages for children have been added, as well as new books for adults.

The Little Free Library is available anytime and has books available for all ages. The vision of the Little Free Library is to offer a book for every reader in the community and to offer the opportunity to discover a personally relevant book that is not limited by time, space or privilege.

Visit the library and borrow a book or feel free to add books.

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Wishing everyone a blessed and happy Easter!

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.