Godfrey Daniels turns 50

The best of the Lehigh Valley, every Monday and Thursday · Issue #9 · October 26, 2026

Happy Monday, Lehigh Valley!

Welcome to the very first Monday Loop. Thursday still plans your weekend. Monday sets up your week: the local news, a restaurant to try, and what's happening tonight through Wednesday.

It's Halloween week, so we also rounded up trick-or-treat night for 40-plus towns in one place.

Weather: sunny and 69 today, then sunny and 64 Tuesday and 63 Wednesday, with chilly nights in the upper 30s to mid 40s. It warms to 74 by Friday, and both trick-or-treat nights look dry.

- Joe Roller

Fifty years ago, two Lehigh grads turned an empty doughnut shop on Bethlehem's South Side into a place where people actually listen to music.

Dave Fry and Cindy Dinsmore opened Godfrey Daniels at 7 E. Fourth St. in March 1976. It has just 80 seats, and no bar crowd talking over the band. It became a nonprofit in 1978, and volunteers still run most of it.

Fry says the magic is the moment when a performer and a room full of real listeners connect. "That still happens 50 years later, and both the audience and the performer realize it and cherish those moments," he told The Morning Call.

The plan: Godfrey's wants to own its home. Its "Home Sweet Home" campaign aims to raise $1 million: $250,000 to buy the building from Fry and Dinsmore, and $750,000 to fix it up with bigger, accessible bathrooms, a bigger stage, better sound, and space upstairs for artists.

Where it stands: about $300,000 raised as of October 9, according to managing director Ramona LaBarre. That's about 30% of the way there.

The catch: they hope to buy the building next year and will likely have to close for a while during the work. Rising costs could also change the goal.

Go this week: Wednesday at 7, Fry gets five of the six original members of the Texas swing band Steppin' Out! back together for Dave's Night Out, an evening of songs and stories. It's $17.28.

Click here: To see the Home Sweet Home campaign!

A new pick every Monday. Nobody pays to be here.

Gigi and Alex opened in September at 605 Main St. in Hellertown, in the old Wings on Main spot. Chef and owner Alejandro Lopez spent more than 25 years cooking in other people's kitchens. This is the first place that's his, and he named it after his two kids.

His wife Lucia and their daughter help run it. It has about 100 seats plus a covered patio, and breakfast is served all day.

What to order: Gigi's Combo, with two pancakes or French toast, two eggs, home fries, and bacon, ham, or sausage ($12.99 before 11, $13.99 after). The Stuffed Cheesecake French Toast is $12.99. For dinner, get the Pollo a la Brasa, a Peruvian roasted half chicken with fried rice and sweet plantains ($19.99).

Our tip: Breakfast all day means pancakes for dinner on a school night. The kids' menu is $9.99 with a drink for ages 8 and under, and chocolate chip pancakes are on it. Costumes are welcome on Halloween.

Hours: 7am to 9pm Monday to Saturday, 7am to 3pm Sunday. No alcohol.

Click here: To see the menu!

This year's Christmas City tree is coming from a church parking lot in Palmer Township.

Bethel Memorial Baptist Church, 715 Chestnut Lane, is giving the city the tallest of the three evergreens on the Maple Lane side of its lot. The city asked, and the church trustees said yes.

A crew cuts it down Wednesday, November 4, around 7am. It takes about an hour and a half, you're welcome to watch, and the church is serving coffee, doughnuts, and cider. Maple Lane closes that morning.

The tree goes up at Payrow Plaza and gets lit Friday, November 27. Last year's tree was 43 feet.

Click here: To read the story!

She quit at 18. She's a world champ at 37. Fogelsville nurse and mom Cindy Sitler learned to race at the T-Town velodrome as a kid and won 10 junior national titles, then walked away at 18. Last year she started riding again at the track's free Women's Wednesdays. On October 8 in London, she and two teammates won the team sprint at the masters world championships and broke the U.S. record twice. The story.

One-liners: Emmaus field hockey's Gracie Huffer scored her 100th career goal, and the Hornets went unbeaten in the regular season. Marvin and Blanche Schantz, both 98, just celebrated 79 years of marriage at Country Meadows in Upper Macungie. There's a new 7-foot "Made in Lehigh Valley" sculpture for selfies at the Lehigh Valley Mall, built by Inaflash Sign and Design of Emmaus. And Chobani's first Pennsylvania dairy plant, at the old Keurig Dr Pepper campus in Upper Macungie, cleared a planning step. The company expects more than 900 jobs over five years.

Halloween is a Saturday this year, so towns split between Friday and Saturday. Both nights look dry and mild. Every town in these two lists is straight from its own website.

Friday, October 30:

Saturday, October 31:

Not posted by the town yet, but The Morning Call's list has them: Slatington and Walnutport go early, Wednesday 6 to 8. Coopersburg, Hanover Township (both counties), North Whitehall, and Upper Macungie are Friday, 6 to 8. Most other towns are Saturday, 6 to 8, including Forks, Palmer, Wilson, Lower Saucon, Upper Milford, Northampton Borough, Freemansburg, Pen Argyl, and Wind Gap. Lower Mount Bethel is 4 to 6 and Roseto is 2 to 4. Your town missing? Hit reply.

Clocks fall back. Daylight saving time ends at 2am Sunday, November 1. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep after Halloween.

Rake now. Salisbury's leaf trucks start today, and Emmaus and North Whitehall are already rolling. Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton start Monday, November 2. Bethlehem skips Tuesday, November 3, and wants leaves loose in the street, never in plastic bags. Easton gives out free clear leaf bags at City Hall. Allentown's district schedule · Bethlehem's schedule

Free hazardous waste drop-off. Upper Saucon takes household hazardous waste Saturday, 8am to noon, at Hopewell Park in Center Valley. It's free, but you have to sign up first. 179 spots were left Sunday.

Cedar Beach playground in Allentown closes today for about four weeks while it gets new safety surfacing.

Roads this week: The Route 22 East ramps at Route 191 close every night, 9pm to 5am, through Tuesday. Route 33 southbound stays down to one lane near Stockertown and Tatamy until about November 9. MacArthur Road in Whitehall has daytime lane limits between Center and Chestnut Streets through Friday. Apple Butter Road in Lower Saucon is closed 8 to 3 all week. Downtown Easton's 300 block of Ferry Street closes Monday and Tuesday, 6:30am to 4pm. And Allentown's Center Square has weekday paving through November 6.

Coming Monday, November 2: Church Road in Bethlehem Township switches its lane closure to the northbound side through December 18.

Click here: To see this week's Lehigh County roadwork! · Northampton County roadwork

Good Times, at 2001 Fairview Ave. in Wilson, is a coffee shop built so parents can actually finish a latte. There's a kids' play room, a quiet library room, and sourdough toasties.

It's open weekdays 7 to 10am and Saturdays 8am to 2pm. The owners plan longer weekday hours soon.

Click here: To read about it!

Back: State Cafe and Grill on S. Fifth St. in Easton is back eight months after a fire. It's closed for a few days after its soft opening, then holds its grand reopening Thursday. After that it's open Thursday to Monday, 8am to 2pm.

Coming: The Inspiration Co. is set to open at the Lehigh Valley Mall on Sunday. T-Rex Sports Cards and Gaming opens in Hellertown's old florist shop on November 14. And Nazareth is getting a new and used bookstore on Belvidere Street, aiming for Black Friday.

Last call: Drizzle Ice Cream's Schnecksville shop scoops its last cone Sunday. The Alburtis original stays open, and gift cards work there. And after 27 years, the Ginders are retiring from retail at Ginder Greenhouse in Upper Mount Bethel. Call 610-588-0222 to book a last visit before New Year's.

Easy weeknight plans for the kids. Library programs list no cost.

MONDAY TO SATURDAY

Trick-or-Treat at the Emmaus Public Library | open hours all week, 11 E. Main St., Emmaus
Come in costume and get a treat. It's a Teal Pumpkin library, so there are non-food treats too. All ages.

TUESDAY

Trunk or Treat at the National Museum of Industrial History FREE | Tue 5 to 7pm, 602 E. Second St., Bethlehem
Candy, costumes, and music, and you're home by bedtime.

Card Club | Tue 5:30 to 6:30pm, Easton Area Public Library
Pokemon, Magic, and more for ages 10 to 18. Bring your cards or use theirs.

WEDNESDAY

Sugar Skull Trinket Trays | Wed 5 to 6pm, Bethlehem library South Side branch
Ages 8 to 17 make a clay tray for Dia de los Muertos. Register by Wednesday at noon.

LEGO Club: Halloween Edition | Wed 6 to 7pm, Easton Area Public Library
Spooky building for ages 6 to 12.

Blue Mountain Trunk or Treat FREE | Wed 6 to 8pm, Blue Mountain Resort, Palmerton
Worth the drive north. RSVP your kids on the page, and kids eat free at the Slopeside Pub after with an adult entree.

FREE means free. Prices are listed where the organizer posts them. Double-check times before heading out!

MONDAY

Open Mic Night at the Bethlehem library | Mon 5 to 7:30pm, Bethlehem Area Public Library
Sign up at 5. Musicians get 15 minutes, and poets and comics get 6.

Good Librations Silent Book Club | Mon 5:30 to 7:30pm, The Tipsy Crow at the Silk Mill, Easton
Bring a spooky read for an hour of quiet reading and a themed drink. 21 and up, and it's the last one until next year.

You Can See Everything | Mon + Tue 4pm and 7pm, Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, Bethlehem
Nathan Fielder's new documentary about Elizabeth Holmes. $13.50 (half off Tuesday), rated R, and almost three hours long.

Adult volleyball | Mon 8 to 10pm, Lower Macungie Community Center
Casual co-ed games for any skill level. Free for gym members.

TUESDAY

Houdini: 100 Years Passed | Tue 6:30pm, Bethlehem Area Public Library
Houdini died on Halloween 1926. A local magician marks 100 years with stories and tricks. For grades 6 and up. Register first.

Lehigh Valley "Hollywood" Squares | Tue 5pm, State Theatre, Easton
WDIY's live game show, with local celebrities in the squares and audience members as contestants. $85.50 to $135.50, and it raises money for the station.

Half-price "Sense and Sensibility" | Tue 4:15 and 7:30pm, Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas
Every ticket is half off on Tuesdays, so the new Jane Austen movie is about $7.

Van Gogh's Flowers | Tue 6 to 9pm, ArtsQuest Creative Factory, Bethlehem
Paint your own swirly bouquet in one night. $68 to $75, ages 16 and up.

New Chamber Music: Woodwind Trio and Piano | Tue 7pm, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown
Allentown Symphony musicians play brand-new pieces by local composers. $15.

Dodgeball for ages 18 to 35 | Tue 8 to 10pm, Lower Macungie Community Center
A workout that doesn't feel like the gym. $7.

WEDNESDAY

The Phantom of the Opera (1925) | Wed 7:30pm, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown
The silent classic with a live organist, playing an organ made in Macungie. $25.

Halloween Party on the Plaza | Wed 6 to 8pm, Payrow Plaza, Bethlehem City Hall
Trick-or-treating, games, and costumes with the Bethlehem Health Bureau.

Halloween Run | Wed 6pm, Aardvark Sports Shop, 559 Main St., Bethlehem
Run or walk through historic Bethlehem in costume, with prizes for scariest, funniest, and best group.

Ozzy and Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning | Wed 7pm, Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas
Ozzy's farewell show on the big screen. $16.50.

Insomnia | Wed 7:15pm, Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas
Robin Williams plays the bad guy in this 2002 thriller, part of the Banko's Robin Williams at 75 series. $13.50.

One way to help the Valley each week.

Miller-Keystone is throwing a Halloween blood drive Friday at its Bethlehem center, 1465 Valley Center Pkwy, from 6:30am to 4pm. There are Halloween treats, and B104 and WZZO are there from 11 to 3.

Everyone who gives that day, at any Miller-Keystone center, is entered to win 5th-row seats to Trans-Siberian Orchestra at PPL Center on December 9, or a pair of tickets to SOMBR in Philadelphia. Book a time. As of Sunday, most of the Bethlehem openings were in the morning.

Click here: To book a time Friday!

Fill a police car: Lower Saucon police want to fill a cruiser with food for the New Jerusalem Lutheran food bank. Drop off tomato sauce, juice, jelly, or cereal at the township building, 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike, through November 19. Details.

Build Luminaria kits: New Bethany needs help packing candles, bags, and sand for Luminaria Night, 4 to 6pm on weeknights in Bethlehem. Kids 12 and up can come with a grown-up. Monday, November 2 is almost full, so try Tuesday, November 3 or Thursday, November 5. Sign up.

Is your nonprofit doing something? | anywhere in the Valley
Fundraiser, walk, drive, gala: hit reply and we'll list it here, free.

Last call this week: The Epic Trick or Trot 5K in Bethlehem closes sign-ups Wednesday at 8pm ($45, or $15 for the kids' dash). The Banana Ball ticket lottery for the Savannah Bananas' 2027 stop at the IronPigs' ballpark closes Saturday at 11:59pm. And register for Nazareth's Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie 5K by Sunday at 4:59pm to lock in a shirt.

Two light shows open Friday, November 13. The Lehigh Valley Zoo's Winter Light Spectacular is $13 for everyone on opening night if you buy ahead ($16 adults and $14 kids most nights). And Illumination at Jefferson Park, the IronPigs' ballpark (formerly Coca-Cola Park), has nearly 2 million lights, from $11 on opening weekend. Both sell out on busy nights.

Trees of Historic Bethlehem opens November 13, with 20-plus trees decorated in architecture styles from Gothic to Brutalism. Tickets are $25 for adults and $14 for kids, by date.

The Lehigh Valley Turkey Trot is Saturday, November 21 on the Ironton Rail Trail. The half marathon goes from $85 to $90 after Tuesday, November 3. The 5K and 10K are $40.

Macungie's Stone Hill Meadows Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning is $17, and the kids' run is $5. Only 40 kids' spots are left.

On Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, the National Museum of Industrial History unveils a new piece of the Steelworkers Veterans Memorial at 10am, and veterans and their families get in free until 5.

Leslie Odom Jr. brings his Christmas tour to the State Theatre on Friday, December 11. Last year's tour sold out. Tickets start at $100.

Luminaria Night is Saturday, December 12. Kits are $15 for 10 candles. Order online now, or buy in person at New Bethany, 333 Wyandotte St., Bethlehem, starting November 2.

Thursday's Loop has the full weekend. Here's what to plan around.

Know someone who is always asking "what's going on this weekend?" Send them the Loop. When one friend signs up through your link, you get The Lehigh Valley Fall Guide: every fall event left in the Valley, in one place.

That's the Loop. Know about something happening in the Valley? Hit reply, we read everything. See you Thursday.