Lehighton punk rock band The Preps, coming off a lengthy hiatus, has returned in a big way: scoring its first Times News Readers’ Choice prize for Best Local Band/Musician.

“This is the first year in almost a decade that the band is active,” said Preps guitarist/vocalist Jimmi Buskirk. “It felt nice to get back together and not only still be remembered by the local community, but to win an award on top of that.”

The Preps attended the sixth annual awards celebration, held Oct. 1 at Lehighton’s Orioles Community Center.

Formed in 1996, the group also features founder Fat Lou on guitar and vocals, IHG on drums and vocals, and John E. Knep on bass and vocals.

Following their dream

Buskirk, who grew up in Bethlehem, moved from Philadelphia to the coal region a few years ago. He and his fellow Preps, from a young age, knew they wanted to pursue music.

For Buskirk, “it was hearing the Ramones for the first time in a movie my mom rented for us to watch when I was a little kid.”

Other 1970s and 1980s punk bands, including the Germs and Adolescents, influenced The Preps, as did 1980s-era hard core bands.

The Preps name, Buskirk explained, “came from how they grew up in school. They were the odd kids out, the misfits. So it seemed silly to refer to themselves as The Preps, since it was the exact opposite of where they fell into the labels of high school society.”

Debut album “Hot Coffee and Cold Shoulders” arrived in 1999. Two albums followed in 2001: “The Imposters Strike Back,” The Preps’ first project released through the Fat Lou/IHG label Fool Records, and “The MIA Album.”

Housing some of the first songs written for The Preps, “The MIA Album” contained demo tracks that went missing shortly after the band recorded them in the late 1990s.

The Preps’ discography, featuring several live albums and EPs, also includes 2004’s “A New Beginning,” which helped the band land a spot on the Warped Tour rock festival.

Coming together

Prior to The Preps, members played in other bands. Buskirk and Knep — who play in acoustic band Woof and punk band The Mega Yeah, the latter now featuring IHG — played in Toxic Sunshine, during which time they played shows with The Preps.

“Fat Lou was a huge part of the local scene, organizing events and helping bands get their music out,” said Buskirk, who saw The Preps play many times before joining. “The bass player and other guitarist left in 2008, so Fat Lou asked John and I to join.“

Though Buskirk and Knep — the latter also plays on Buskirk’s acoustic albums — played just a couple of months with The Preps, they later rejoined in 2014. The band’s “Basement Demos,” originally started in 2008 shortly before The Preps broke up.

“‘The Basement Demos’ was a lot of fun,” Buskirk said. “That was the first release of the current lineup. The plan then was to record demos of those songs before releasing a full-length album. We all got wrapped up in other things, so that full-length never came out.”

The hiatus begins

In 2015, “everyone decided to take a break,” Buskirk said. “Fat Lou went back to school and eventually started Home Comfort Solutions, which has since become a staple in the area.”

The Preps‘ other members also keep busy outside of music: Buskirk works on machines for a production company, while IHG works in electronics and Knep does landscaping.

After many music-free years, “about a year ago, Fat Lou decided he wanted to get back into it,” Buskirk recalled. “He reached out and asked if we were all interested in playing again.”

While everyone in The Preps contributes musically, “Fat Lou has always been the wordsmith,” said Buskirk, who has few “Basement Demos” writing credits. “I save my writing for The Mega Yeah since it’s so drastically different from The Preps style.”

The Preps, which self-produces its music, plans to issue new singles “Wake Up” and “Radio” around Christmas, with a full-length album set for spring. The group also plans a release to celebrate the 30-year history of the band in 2026.

Other projects

Aside from new Preps music, Buskirk also plans a new EP and a Mega Yeah acoustic album.

In addition, The Mega Yeah has some upcoming shows, including an Oct. 25 date with friend Joe Jack Talcum — of punk band The Dead Milkmen — at Lansdale’s Round Guys Brewery. Buskirk has loved The Dead Milkmen since he was a kid.

The Preps, which before Buskirk joined played New York City’s CBGB and old local clubs such as Crocodile Rock, plans to hit the road after recording the new batch of songs.

Reflecting on The Preps’ achievements, “the band had already accomplished a lot of things,” Buskirk said, “like playing with our favorite bands and meeting some of our idols. Basically everyone I idolized as a kid; all living members of the Ramones, the Misfits, The Vibrators.”

The Preps has also shared stages with acts such as Rancid, Flogging Molly and Bad Religion.

As The Preps anticipates new music and returning to live gigs, band members “just want to have fun,” Buskirk said. “We got back together for the love of music. We wanted to have fun playing songs and meeting up with old friends.”

The punk rock ethos, he added, “has always been to just get out there, do it and have fun.”