{"id":145616,"date":"2025-10-17T13:18:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T17:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=145616"},"modified":"2025-10-17T13:18:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T17:18:24","slug":"northampton-county-celebrates-community-excellence-at-2025-county-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=145616","title":{"rendered":"Northampton County Celebrates Community Excellence at 2025 County Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n[Northampton County, PA] \u2013\u00a0Northampton County proudly hosted its annual County Festival on October 11, 2025, bringing together residents for a day of celebration, community, and recognition. Despite rain showers during the award ceremony, the event continued with enthusiasm and spirit, as County Executive Lamont G. McClure, County Controller Tara Zrinski, and County Commissioner Jeff Warren presented awards to outstanding individuals and organizations whose service, leadership, and dedication strengthen our communities.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis festival is a celebration of everything that makes Northampton County extraordinary, our businesses, our volunteers, our veterans, and the everyday citizens who uplift their neighbors,\u201d said County Executive McClure. \u201cEven a little rain couldn\u2019t dampen the incredible community pride we felt today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The following awards were presented:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Outstanding Business (6 Awardees)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>All Aspects At The Barn \u2013 Ray &amp; Becky Higgins\u00a0for creating family-centered community events and fostering togetherness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Fanatics Majestic Athleticwear \u2013 Stephanie Hartzell\u00a0for hosting over 25 blood drives since 2011 and supporting emergency needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Harvest Home Meats \u2013 Rich DiFebbo\u00a0for sustainable farming practices that promote soil health, water quality, and biodiversity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>My Little Farmstand \u2013 Dominique Koehler\u00a0for exemplifying generosity and community spirit through local support and donations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Valley Fruits &amp; Veggies \u2013 Deb Colitis\u00a0for advancing agritourism and contributing to a healthier, more resilient county.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>HangDog Outdoor Adventure \u2013 Michael McCreary &amp; Carleen Rack\u00a0for inspiring courage and community through outdoor recreation and local partnerships.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Outstanding Emergency Personnel (3 Awardees)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Keith Kutz Sr. \u2013 Washington Township\u00a0for over 50 years of volunteer service and dedication to emergency response and fundraising.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Chandler Biechy \u2013 Borough of Bath\u00a0for steadfast support in traffic control and community safety at local events.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Todd Pysher \u2013 Portland Borough\u00a0for leadership as Police Chief, promoting accountability and responsible public service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Good Samaritan (2 Awardees)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Beth Duyssen \u2013 Nominated by Portland Borough\u00a0for championing small businesses during crises and advocating for local resilience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Lisa Borick \u2013 Nominated by Borough of Nazareth\u00a0for her tireless volunteerism with Nazareth Day and the July 4th Kazoo Parade.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Outstanding Veteran (7 Awardees)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Buddy Yeager\u00a0\u2013 For active participation and community care for fellow veterans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Bruce Shellock\u00a0\u2013 For providing vital medical equipment and lifelong service to others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>David Alercia\u00a0\u2013 Founder of Saint Michael\u2019s Warriors, supporting veterans and first responders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Paul Haldaman\u00a0\u2013 Vietnam Veteran and longtime youth sports coach and civic leader.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Peter Reisen\u00a0\u2013 For preserving remembrance and speaking on the importance of honor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Mark Santos\u00a0\u2013 Air Force Combat Veteran and Habitat Lehigh Valley volunteer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Freddie Reed\u00a0\u2013 Veterans Brotherhood leader and mentor in County Treatment Courts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Outstanding Volunteer (8 Awardees)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gloria Domina\u00a0\u2013 Advocate for abused women and children, fundraising champion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Sally Handlon\u00a0\u2013 WDIY 88.1 FM \u2013 Community radio leader and public media advocate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Greg Vennemann\u00a0\u2013 Public education supporter with Proud Parents of Bethlehem Area SD.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Elaine Jones\u00a0\u2013 Miller-Keystone Blood Bank \u2013 Over 1,700 volunteer hours supporting donors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Tony Sabino\u00a0\u2013 Historic Bethlehem Museums &amp; Sites \u2013 Engaging tour guide and historian.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Janice Ostock\u00a0\u2013 Bethlehem Emergency Shelter \u2013 A decade of hands-on service and leadership.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Tom Marko\u00a0\u2013 Bethlehem Emergency Shelter \u2013 Technology mentor and dedicated shelter volunteer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>MaryAnn R. Lilly\u00a0\u2013 Borough of Bath \u2013 40+ years with Bath Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Outstanding Youth (3 Awardees)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Evan Tamandl\u00a0\u2013 Nominated by the Borough of Nazareth for creating a public orienteering course and reinvesting in community spaces.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Lilah Goldfarb\u00a0\u2013 Nominated by the Borough of Bath is the founder of the \u201cFree Market\u201d and active Junior Council Person.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Yotzael Cerezo\u00a0\u2013 Nominated by Community Bike Works for service through bicycle building, school supply drives, and youth engagement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Outstanding Municipality Employee (3 Awardees)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Debra Dreisbach \u2013 Borough of Nazareth, for decades of dedicated service and leadership within the police department.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Justine Caiazzo-Strouse \u2013 Palmer Township, for outstanding event coordination and interdepartmental support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Deanne Werkheiser \u2013 Upper Nazareth Township, for exemplary professionalism and commitment across multiple township roles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Northampton County Citizen of the Year<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kassie Hilgert \u2013 ArtsQuest,\u00a0Honored for visionary leadership in arts, culture, and community engagement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; [Northampton County, PA] \u2013\u00a0Northampton County proudly hosted its annual County Festival on October 11, 2025, bringing together residents for a day of celebration, community, and recognition. Despite rain showers &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=145616\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Northampton County Celebrates Community Excellence at 2025 County Festival<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nc-awards.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145616"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=145616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/145617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=145616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=145616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=145616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}