“A Day Along the Walnutport Canal,” a reformed version of the Walnutport Festival, was held Sunday after being canceled last year due to COVID-19.

The celebration was held in the canal park as well as along Canal Street that runs next to the canal.

There was plenty of entertainment, with the Dave and Brenda Duo singing classic country music; magician Joe Keppel entertained kids and adults alike; and the hayrides, one going north on the canal path, another going south. People were also enjoying some canoeing and kayaking, bicycle riding, and hiking along the path.

A variety of food was for sale. Offerings included “Caring ‘Dam’ Hearts” had homemade pierogies. The Bake-a-re of Danielsville offered artisanal cookies, kiffles and other baked goods.

Other organizations with tables included the Rotary Club of Slatington, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, The Lehigh River Stocking Association Co-op Nursery, The 53rd Pa. Volunteer Infantry Civil War Re-enactment, Creative Art Works of Northampton, Teels Hill Soapworks, The Slatington Volunteer Fire Company, New Journey Community Church of Bethlehem, and many others.

Martha Capwell-Fox, historian and archives coordinator for the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor and the National Canal Museum, summed up the whole purpose of the festival. “This is a good event for us; we meet a lot of friends. This is an opportunity for us to connect with people who use the trail,” Capwell-Fox said.

“We still have the haunted boat rides, a photo contest, the half marathon, we’re sponsoring a hike in Jim Thorpe on the 13th of November, and the National Canal Museum in Easton is open on weekends until the week before Christmas,” she added.

In 1982, the Walnutport Canal Association was formed to continue the restoration and to maintain the canal and towpath. The association has planted trees, established picnic areas, a nature trail, and constructed a pavilion and heritage center.

The canal is stocked with trout by the Pennsylvanian Fish & Boat Commission.

People of all ages year-round enjoy walking, fishing, hiking, biking, jogging, bird watching and cross country skiing.

Learn more from the Walnutport Canal Association’s Facebook page.