Much has changed since Coplay Community Days made its debut in 1980. The event has become a mega festival in the borough, while at the same time retaining its core - a town-based organization having an opportunity to raise money for its programs and providing a wide choice of food and beverages to the patrons attending.

The three-day festival, dubbed as Party in the Park, begins Friday evening. The event has evolved into a regional affair, as out-of-towners join borough residents in marking summer’s unofficial end with one big blast.

When Community Days began, Lehigh County was actually looking to boost attendance at the then-Saylor Kilns museum. Though the kilns are floodlighted at night, the museum is now just a memory.

A couple of banners were strung across Chestnut and Second streets giving notice that Community Days was to happen. Now, large signs are sprinkled across the borough and in Whitehall Township.

For the first several years, Community Days was planned mostly for borough families. The event paid tribute to retired Coplay Cement Company workers.

There was a 5K run sponsored by Coplay Saengerbund on borough streets, beginning and ending at the Parkway. Ironton Rail-Trail Commission now holds a race, set for Saturday.

Entertainment in the early years was focused primarily on polkas and a country band on Saturday afternoon. Johnny Dee was a mainstay for decades.

Some of the area’s most popular cover and rock bands now perform.

The Walt Groller Orchestra will be in the bandstand Sunday afternoon.

Profits from the festival have gone back into the community each year, and major projects have evolved from the funds. One of the first projects decades back was the borough tot lot.