Welcome to the start of the summer of 2025, my friends! With a very nice Memorial Day celebration behind us, we can start looking forward to those tried and true welcome to summertime benchmarks — the opening of the municipal swimming pool and Paw Prints on the Canal.

First, I’m stepping back to Memorial Day to thank everyone who joined our solemn service at the veterans plaza. With perfect weather to complement the occasion, I enjoyed seeing how the participation grows from year to year.

From hundreds of our townspeople, to the Boy Scouts, the Northampton Area High School band, the Masons, our fire department and our veterans from local organizations — Catholic War Veterans, Fred Snyder American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars — the day was marked with reverence and patriotism, honoring our beloved veterans who are no longer with us. Our thanks and recognition of their sacrifices and selfless service to preserve our freedom will live on in us for all time, as it rightfully should.

Now, jumping into the deep end, the municipal swimming pool will open noon June 7. As our public works department has been spending a good amount of time this spring doing repairs, know that the pool is in top condition and ready for your summertime enjoyment. For your convenience, pool passes are available at the recreation center on Lerchenmiller Drive during normal business hours.

Additionally, if you’re looking for a great location to host a poolside birthday party or other celebratory event, we have a beautiful pavilion available to rent on the pool grounds. Just stop by the borough office or call 610-262-2576 to check for availability. It’s a very affordable way to host your event at such a convenient and fun location.

Calling all pet lovers and outdoor fair aficionados: The annual Paw Prints on the Canal will again take center stage 11 a.m.-4 p.m. June 8. With more than 160 vendors, this pet-centric fair has something for everyone! From a plethora of pet supplies, pet rescue associations, a wide variety of food vendors and skilled crafters galore, Canal Street Park will be jumping with activity.

I can tell you from my past trips to Paw Prints, it’s best to bring a good pair of walking shoes and a big appetite as Candi Lynn, the event organizer, has grown this event to encompass a bigger and bigger portion of the park every year.

Along with the vendors, our Northampton Police Department K-9 division will be on hand, showcasing our police dog, Chico. Stop by to meet Chico and his handler, Officer Geoff Perry, and learn how our police skillfully use him in our crime-fighting efforts. I look forward to seeing you there!

Moving up from Canal Street Park to Newport Avenue, I want to recognize and extend congratulations to St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church on its upcoming 125th anniversary. It was organized in 1899 by local Ukrainians. After laying the cornerstone of the church, they dedicated the edifice June 24, 1900, making it the first Catholic church in Northampton.

In the early years, the church was attended by not only local Ukrainians, but by Slovaks, Germans and Polish worshippers. As my family has our Ukrainian roots with St. John’s, I, along with many of our local Ukrainians, have grown up with many of the beautiful traditions this parish has offered throughout the years.

I understand my grandfather and granduncles were instrumental in the construction of the church, as were many other local Ukrainian craftsmen of that time. The stunning artwork within the church, along with the priceless stained-glass windows, each portraying one of the 14 Stations of the Cross, are local treasures to behold. Along with the sublime grandeur of the church itself, the surrounding grounds are a most immaculate, colorful array of bright red rose bushes and other seasonal flowers.

I had the chance to visit with the pastor, the Rev. Vasil Bunik, recently, enjoying his effervescent personality and warmth. As he’s relatively new to the area, I learned of his homeland and shared a few of my church experiences and knowledge of the area with him and his daughter and son-in-law, also from Ukraine. It was quite an enjoyable and reflective way to spend an afternoon.

As is fitting and as one of my great honors as mayor, in recognition of the church’s 125th anniversary, I am proclaiming June 24, 2025, as St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church Day in the borough of Northampton and ask our borough council and my fellow Northampton residents to join me in celebrating this wonderful, memorable milestone.

So, for now, let’s hope these rains let up a bit as clear blue skies and warmer temperatures take hold, so we can happily enjoy all our town offers this summertime.

Enjoy!