Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Can one woman’s GoFundMe save Bethlehem’s beloved Christmas Barn?

Happening soon: Stream Team 2026: Cedar Creek Parkway on the Bethlehem Patch calendar

Patch AM Team's profile picture
Patch AM Team, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Wednesday August 19th Patch AM
Wednesday August 19th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hi Bethlehem! We have the latest buzz right here. Let's keep you in the loop and get this morning started right! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Can one woman's GoFundMe save Bethlehem's beloved Christmas Barn?
  • Investigators still probing deadly three-vehicle crash near Bethlehem
  • Why Bethlehem police refused to release Flock camera search records.

Also on today's calendar: Stream Team 2026: Cedar Creek Parkway and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What do evil hens lay? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 88 and low of 67 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Thursday: A shower and t-storm; humid, temps: high: 81, low: 60.
  • Friday: Partly sunny and less humid, with a high of 83 and low of 62 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Woman Fights to Save Historic 'Christmas Barn' in Bethlehem, Pa.: 'A Real Life Hallmark Christmas Movie' (Exclusive) (people.com) — A Lehigh Valley native is trying to buy and revive the shuttered Christmas Barn in Bethlehem Township, aiming to restore a beloved year-round holiday shop and add a café to draw new visitors. She's raised nearly $50,000 via GoFundMe toward a $200,000 goal, hoping to preserve a piece of Bethlehem's Christmas City charm as developers reshape surrounding properties.
   

2. 21-year-old killed in 3-vehicle Lehigh County crash identified (lehighvalleylive.com) — A 21-year-old Moore Township woman has been identified as the victim of Monday's three-vehicle crash near Airport Road and Race Street, after she was pronounced dead at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg in Bethlehem. Pennsylvania State Police in Bethlehem, along with the Lehigh County coroner and district attorney's office, are still investigating what caused the collision that shut down traffic for hours.
   

3. Pa. lawmakers propose guardrails on automatic license plate cameras as backlash grows (mcall.com) — Pennsylvania lawmakers are pushing new rules on automatic license plate readers, aiming to curb misuse and tighten privacy protections around the data they collect. Bethlehem and Allentown police both denied public requests for Flock camera audit logs, citing investigative exemptions, as advocates press for clearer limits on how local departments store, share, and search residents' vehicle information.
   

4. Governors' races are being increasingly buffeted by the toxic politics of data centers (thetelegraph.com) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is tightening state incentives and permitting rules for data centers, a move that could affect projects debated in communities like Bethlehem and across the Lehigh Valley. As residents statewide push back over energy use, water demands, and local impacts, both parties' gubernatorial candidates are recalibrating their positions on these massive facilities ahead of the midterms.
   

📸 Around Bethlehem

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Bethlehem

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

📣 Bethlehem Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Bethlehem PatchAM possible:

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • These three chimney swift babies fell with their nest (which is in three pieces) in my fireplace?
    Where can I take them as a parent does not seem to be anywhere in sight? (Nextdoor Historic Bethlehem)
  • Neighborhood Nourishment!
    Come on out on Thursday, August 20, at 5:30 pm for our free community dinner!! We are having Beef and Macaroni, Green Beans, Homemade Garden Salad,… (Nextdoor Grandview Blvd)
  • PAC Worldwide Corporation posted a job opening for Eco Machine Operator (1st Shift) in Bethlehem. Apply here.
  • Extended Stay America, Inc. posted a job opening for Housekeeper Part Time-101020 in Bethlehem. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Bethlehem here.

Ok Bethlehem! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Deviled eggs (Thank you Karla H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what's happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Bethlehem