Catasauqua This Week: Ottertoberfest, Borough Meetings, and a Full October Weekend

October opens this week with a full slate around Catasauqua and North Catasauqua: the Rough Riders host Northern Lehigh at Alumni Field Friday night, Ottertoberfest takes over the Lehigh Valley Zoo on Saturday, and Jim Thorpe's Fall Foliage Festival opens its first of three October weekends. Both borough councils meet Monday evening, October 5, and the Catasauqua Area School District runs a clean stretch of full school weeks before its Columbus Day holiday. Here is what is happening in and around Catasauqua and North Catasauqua in the week ahead, plus a couple of new places to eat nearby.

Local News and Community Happenings

Monday, October 5 is a meeting night in both boroughs. Catasauqua's council holds its committee and workshop session at 6:00 p.m. at the municipal building, 90 Bridge Street, following the borough's first-Monday pattern; the regular business meetings follow on the third Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m., with the next one set for October 19. Agendas and minutes post on catasauqua.org, and the meetings are open to the public. North Catasauqua's council also follows a first-Monday schedule, so its next regular meeting is Monday, October 5 as well; agendas post on the borough's news page at northcatasauqua.org, which includes a Webex link for remote attendance.

The borough's street work is still active. Catasauqua's homepage continues to list the Wood Street paving and concrete project, with street sweeping suspended while the work is under way, and the Front Street and Second Street two-way conversion remains in effect with no parking along the corridor from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. during the work. If you drive those streets, follow the posted signs.

The next big community date to circle is Sunday, October 11, when North Catasauqua's Autumnfest and Car Show returns to William J. Albert Memorial Park on Grove Street, with a rain date of Saturday, October 17, per the borough's announcement. The afternoon brings the car show, a craft and flea market, a food court, live music, and kids' activities, right on Grove Street a few blocks from 514 Grove.

At the Catasauqua Area School District

The district is in a clean stretch: full weeks of classes run through Friday, October 9, with no holidays or early dismissals listed before then. The next calendar milestones are Monday, October 12, when schools close for the Columbus Day holiday, and Tuesday, October 13, when the board of education meets from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the District Administration Office, 201 N. 14th Street, Catasauqua. Newer on the calendar for families: an early dismissal for all buildings on Wednesday, October 21. The downloadable 2026-2027 district calendar on cattysd.org has the full list of holidays, in-service days, and board dates for the year.

The fall sports highlight lands Friday night: the varsity football Rough Riders host the Northern Lehigh Bulldogs at Alumni Field with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff, a Colonial League matchup confirmed on both teams' published 2026 schedules. Boys and girls soccer, girls volleyball, and cross country are all in season too, so there is usually something at the field or in the gym most afternoons; game times and any schedule changes post on the Rough Riders athletics site at roughriderathletics.org. No homecoming date has been published yet for 2026, so families should keep an eye on the Catasauqua High School calendar at chs.cattysd.org as the season goes on.

Things to Do in the Area

The marquee family event this weekend is Ottertoberfest at the Lehigh Valley Zoo in Schnecksville, Saturday, October 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., presented by United Federal Credit Union. The zoo's schedule for the day includes a Frozen Otter Cake presentation at 12:15 p.m. with a River Otter Fact Chat, live music from The Quakertown Band from noon to 1:00 p.m., local craft and food vendors, and token-based otter-themed crafts and activities. Admission is standard zoo admission: members free, adults $18, seniors 65 and up $14, children 2 to 11 $14, and infants under 2 free. The zoo is at 5150 Game Preserve Road, about 25 minutes from Catasauqua.

If you want a fall road trip, the Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival opens its first of three weekends Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, in historic downtown Jim Thorpe, with the festival repeating October 10-11 and 17-18. Expect craft and food vendors, free live music on multiple stages, Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway rides through the gorge, horse-and-buggy rides, lantern-lit ghost tours, and children's activities, with the visitors center extending its weekend hours through October 25. Foliage peaks later in the month, but the festival itself runs all three weekends, so you can pick the weekend that fits.

Closer to home, Olde Stone Farm on Raubsville Road in Easton runs Special Harvest Nights on Friday and Saturday evenings from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. through October 31, and Seiple Farms in East Allen Township has its 20-acre corn maze and pumpkin patch open through November 1. Both are about 15 to 20 minutes from Catasauqua and make an easy afternoon or evening stop.

Good Places to Eat Nearby

This week's picks are two spots we have not featured before. The Burger Shack at 2011 N. 1st Avenue in Whitehall is a casual counter-service spot for burgers, cheesesteaks, and comfort sides; call (610) 443-2077 or see theburgershackpa.com for the menu and hours. For something different, Rozana Mediterranean Restaurant and Banquet Hall at 2678 Eberhart Road in Whitehall serves Mediterranean plates in a relaxed setting; call (610) 443-0695 or see rozanabanquetrestaurant.com.

And if you want to stay in the borough, Catty Pizza at 501 2nd Street remains the dependable local takeout stop for pizza and Italian favorites; call (610) 266-2599 or order at cattypizzamenu.com.