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The Tamaqua Historical Society will present its 38th Annual Tamaqua Heritage Festival this Sunday, October 9 from 10 to 5 PM in downtown Tamaqua.
The Tamaqua Heritage Festival is a celebration of our area’s rich history and culture as well as Fall foliage and harvest time!
The Tamaqua Heritage Festival has become a long standing community homecoming which draws family, relatives, friends, neighbors and visitors together in downtown Tamaqua to enjoy the fall foliage season and spend time together. The event is held rain or shine. The event includes a large craft and street fair spread over several blocks downtown selling all kinds of handmade crafts, seasonal and holiday creations, works of art, street wares and so much more!
Every booth has something special and unique to offer. Many local non-profit organizations, school groups, churches, scouts, fire police and fire companies always participate with food, information, and fundraising items. Great food is always on everybody’s mind the day of the festival as they smell the tempting aromas of all kinds of homemade food scattered all along West Broad Street. Items include a variety of homemade soups, chili, pierogies, halushki, pit beef and pulled pork sandwiches, barbecue, fresh tapped birch beer, home baked goods, fresh cut fries, burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, fresh squeezed apple cider, kettle corn, cotton candy, funnel cake, homemade candy, shish kabobs, stuffed grape leaves, fried Oreos, ice cream, sundaes, milk shakes, and more!
If visitors are more in the mood for an indoor, sit-down dinner with family, stop in one of our fine down town restaurants or sandwich shops on Sunday.
The Tamaqua Historical Society Museum, Annex and Art Gallery at 118 West Broad Street will be open from 10 to 5. Stop in and learn about our rich local history and see the many interesting exhibits. The Historical Society will have sale and display tables in front of the Museum the day of the festival. The 1848 Hegarty Blacksmith Shop at the corner of Hegarty Avenue and Nescopeck Streets will be open with blacksmiths Don and Travis demonstrating their skills at the forge and offering tours of the 173 year old shop.
The Tamaqua Heritage Players group, part of the Tamaqua Historical Society, will be strolling throughout the festival area dressed in period clothing. The Jukebox Cruisers Car Club will present a car show on South Railroad Street from 10 to 3 PM.
Everyone is welcome to display their antique or classic street rod car, truck, or motorcycle. No preregistration required and there will be no judging, just show up the morning of the festival. Vehicles should enter from the intersection of Spruce Street and South Railroad Street. The Tamaqua Historical Society will present three ‘Peoples Choice Awards’ to vehicle owners and the first 50 vehicles to arrive will receive custom Tamaqua Heritage Festival dash plaques. Vehicle owners are asked to enter the car show area from the intersection of Spruce and South Railroad Streets.
The Tamaqua Victorian Hi-Wheeler bicyclists will hopefully make an appearance riding their vintage 1890s Hi-wheel bicycles in period costumes and showing off their skills during the day. This was once a popular pastime in Tamaqua during the 1880s when we actually had a local bicycling organization known as the ‘Tamaqua Wheelmen.”
A variety of music around the festival area includes the WMGH Polka Program live broadcast with Polka Joe Manjack from 10 to 1 in front of the Museum, DJ Shawn from 1 to 5 in front of the Museum Annex. The antique steam calliope will be playing music from 11 to 4 near the Five Points.
The Faculty Brass Band will be strolling throughout the festival area during the day. Oldies music will be heard throughout the car show area from 10 to 3. Leiby’s Carriage Service will be offering horsedrawn trolley rides around the festival featuring their beautiful Belgian draft horses starting on Berwick Street. If you are into antiques or decorating, stop by Tink’s Antiques on South Railroad Street, or Tap S Trees specialty shop on East Broad Street to check out their latest acquisitions. A caricature artist will offer color or black and white caricature sketches on West Broad Street in front of the former Scheids Building while you wait.
Children and adults alike will love the open house at the Tamaqua Anthracite Model Railroad Club at the corner of West Broad Street at Nescopeck Street. See their large operating layout on the second floor of the former Masonic Building as they model the railroads from the greater Tamaqua area and beyond. Also the Carbon Model Railroad Club will have their operating HO train layout inside a replica railroad caboose in the street next to the Museum. They will also have trains and train items for sale nearby. Children’s games, bounce house and amusements will be located on South Railroad Street.
The Tamaqua Public Library on South Railroad St. will have a special program inside at 1:00 featuring two Bethlehem Steel authors who will present a special program titled “History on the Books.” They will also have a book sale and goodies available. St. Luke’s Care Now will be open at the Tamaqua Medical Center along North Railroad Street from 8 AM until 8 PM for anyone needing immediate medical care on Sunday. Lehigh Valley Health Network will have a booth setup on West Broad Street with a variety of information.