The 44th annual Coplay Community Days, held Aug. 22-24, had record attendance sparked by perfect weather, quality entertainment, excellent food and solid planning by the Coplay Community Days Committee.

Committee leader Bill Loy, proprietor of Samuel Owens Restaurant & Bar in Coplay, was delighted with the entire weekend experience.

The event was founded in the early 1980s to celebrate the workers at the former Coplay Cement plant, which provided many jobs at the mill since the dawn of the 20th century. The former Coplay Cement mill site contains the historic Saylor Kilns adjacent to the Coplay Parkway.

The festival, held at Saylor Park, Second and Keefer streets, opened Aug. 22 with Coplay Mayor Joseph Bundra kicking off the event with a tribute to a former mayor, the late Stephen J. Burker, who was a leader in the current Community Days format. Timothy Boyer, retired pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Coplay, provided the invocation.

State Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-133rd, offered warm, loving comments about Burker, whom she considered a dear friend.

Burker unexpectedly died in October of 2024.

McNeill said she misses him and will forever cherish their friendship. She closed her remarks by asking attendees to raise their cups in a toast to Burker.

The first night of the event concluded with a performance by popular local rock band the Aardvarks. They are a staple, performing every Friday night at Coplay Community Days for years. As the evening went on, the attendance swelled to near standing-room only.

The weekend featured solid music, great food and fellowship among the large attendance.

Saturday afternoon was a craft day with a number of vendors and small businesses selling their wares.

One of note was Burker’s niece, Kimberly Bellis, along with her business partner Kelly Hemond running Furry Tail Creations LLC. Their website is furrytailcreationsusa.square.site. A portion of all their sales is donated to animal rescues and no-kill animal shelters.

Critical Acclaim Tattoos, 3035 Lehigh St., Allentown, featured handmade items with an occult flair. Brandon Passi, an accomplished tattoo artist, and Miss LouLou offered their sale items and interesting conversation. Visit criticalacclaimtatoos.com or call 610-433-8282 for more information.

Maureen and Rene Miletics, of Whitehall, staffed their wide selection of handmade soaps, shower steamers, body butters and more at their Adonai’s Aromas table. Visit adonaisaromas.com to view their products and for more information.

Next year’s “Party in the Park” will be held Aug. 21-23, 2026.