Patient First in the Community

We enjoyed returning to Bethlehem's SteelStacks again on December 30 to participate in PEEPsFest 2024. This has become one of our favorite events each year, and we were delighted to participate again as the final event of our 2024 calendar year. Although this is a two-day event and we are only able to participate for a single day,, we were not disappointed. We had a non-stop churn of visitors all day which kept us busy and able to meet and talk with many people. Some of the folks we spoke with were new to Patient First, and others have been long-time users of our neighborhood medical centers. Like last year, the event was a sell-out for both days, and it was great fun for all. Unlike 2023 when we had inclement weather on event day, this year Mother Nature cooperated and gave us a great day!

Event organizers had us stationed in a perfect indoor location which gave us the opportunity to interact with many people from all over the Lehigh Valley, and beyond. In fact, we had a very lively and enjoyable conversation with some Lehigh Valley natives who now live in Colorado, but returned for a family visit during the holidays and included PEEPsFest on their holiday visit itinerary. They joined the scores of people who stopped by to give our medical staff from our three Lehigh Valley locations - Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton -- kudos for the great patient care services they received throughout the year. We also heard from others from out of the area who told us about the great visits they have had at our locations in Central Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Maryland.

PEEPSFest is undoubtedly one of the "go-to" holiday events in the Lehigh Valley each year as evident by their continual sold-out status. The event featured lots of indoor and outdoor family-friendly activities-- all culminating with the drop of the giant PEEPs chick at the end of the event to help ring in the new year. The overall host/sponsor of this event is Just Bord, a candy manufacturer headquartered in the Lehigh Valley and manufacturer of PEEPs.

We are already counting the days until we can return in December 2025 to be part of this fun event. Hope to see you there- but remember to secure your tickets early as it will likely be a sell out once again!

Bethlehem, PA's Hanover Township Community Center welcomed the 2024 holiday season in a big way with its annual tree lighting holiday event. We are always so happy to support and participate in events at this facility since it is literally right down the street from our Bethlehem Patient First center.

Each year, this evening event attracts hundreds of folks from the neighborhood, and the best part of all, it is FREE and open to the community. Each year it seems to get bigger and bigger, too, with all kinds of fun activities and surprises for young and old alike. Expertly organized, the staff at the Community Center effectively uses just about every square inch of the facility, both indoors and outdoors, to create a truly fun filled evening for participants. We loved being back on site for the event again this year, and got such a charge out of all the commotion, the fun holiday music provided by a local disc jockey. and seeing all the smiling and happy faces. 

Pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, an indoor snowball battle, cookie decorating, free food and beverages including home made cake pops and popcorn, and crafts of all sorts and coloring table for the children to enjoy provided lots of indoor fun. Step outdoors, and you're treated to an ice carving demonstration, holiday music provided by a local school band, and a winter wonderland full of illuminated lights all over campus. All this combined to make it a great time for all who came out to enjoy the official start of the holiday season in Hanover Township. They thought of everything, including a huge outdoor grill for people to roast s'mores and grill hot dogs. 

Of course, the highlight of the evening was when the switch was flipped and the holiday tree was illuminated. The line for photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus was non-stop all evening. We did get to talk with Santa while there, and we put in our request for a safe, happy and healthy holiday season for us all.

For the past four years, Patient First has participated in Bethlehem's Christkindlmarkt, and once again the event did not disappoint. It has become one of our favorite events of the year. This all-day event ran from morning until evening, and it gave us a full day of fun interacting with the huge crowd that came out to enjoy opening weekend.

Christkindlmarkt has been a holiday hit in Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley for years. In addition to hand-crafted gifts, the market has expanded over the years to include tastes and sounds of the season including German strudel, carols and even a visit from St. Nick. It now commands international attention for its holiday shopping experience and is noted among the top holiday markets in the world. We are thrilled to be included in the lineup of such an outstanding event!

Throughout the day we enjoyed so many great conversations from folks who have visited our centers from all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. It was great to hear all of the positive comments from many people who went out of their way to show us the love. Our Lehigh Valley centers in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton naturally got the most love from locals who stopped by to visit with us.

Each year this event features lots of holiday attractions like ice carving, decorated holiday trees and jumbo ornaments, and of course lots of shopping and great eating. It takes place weekends up until Christmas. We were there on Saturday, 11/16/24 for Opening Weekend and the beginning of the event's 31st anniversary year. 

A visit to Christkindlmarkt most definitely puts everyone in the holiday spirit! How many days until we return in 2025?

Home at Last Dog Rescue based in Lansdale, PA celebrated its 10th annual Howloween 5K and 1 mile Dog Walk this year, and Patient First was fortunate to participate as an event sponsor for the first time this year. We are already eagerly anticipating returning to the 2025 event, and hopefully getting even more engaged with this great organization in the year ahead. It was such a fun time! We were so lucky to score a day of perfect Fall weather, and participants came out in droves -- many in costumes (dogs included) to have fun during this Halloween themed event.

Parkside Place Park in North Wales, PA hosted the event, and it was a perfect location to accommodate such a large and well-attended event. We joined many other vendors and enjoyed a day of interacting with a lot of fun people and their dogs. And yes, we all wanted to take a least one of the adoptable dogs home with us. So many canines of all shapes and sizes and ages were being "shown off" by the foster parents of these fur babies throughout the day.

This organization's hope is to provide an alternative to the purchase of puppy mill and pet store dogs, therefore reducing the demand for and ultimately the supply of such dogs. All of this is accomplished through the support of so many volunteers whose goal is to save the lives of homeless dogs suffering in high kill shelters, as well as owner surrender dogs that need to be rehomed due to unfortunate circumstances.

If you are looking to add a "fur baby" to your household and you're in the Greater Philadelphia area, this is an organization you should check out. We are so excited to have been able to establish a new relationship with the organization this year, and we are looking forward to identifying other ways for us to work together to help these dogs in need, and bring joy into the homes of families who choose to adopt.

Each Fall for the past few years, Patient First has been excited to participate in Apple Days weekend activities hosted by Historic Bethlehem & Sites. The organization has an outstanding volunteer support base which makes things especially nice for us when we're on site, and great for all who attend the event.

We had lots of visits to our tent over the weekend. It is always so nice to hear from people who share with us that they have chosen Patient First as their "go to" urgent care center in the Lehigh Valley.

To keep things running smoothly, event organizers had shuttle busses running from off-site parking areas to accommodate all of the incoming visitors. This was such a nice feature and made access easy and convenient for all.

Most participants who visited with us had great things to say about their experiences as patients in our Lehigh Valley centers -- Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. We also met with visitors who had been seen by providers in a few of our South Jersey centers, as well.

As usual, the event was "all things apple" with many food and beverage treats to sample. We definitely satisfied our sweet tooth while there by sampling their delicious apple crumb pies and ice cream. How many more days until the 2025 event? We are ready to return.

The "Spooktacular" Hot Air Balloon Festival in the Lehigh Valley is promoted as the largest Fall, laser-lit hot air balloon, music and glow festival in North American. With 2024 being its fifth anniversary year, Patient First was excited to be a part of the fun for the past two years. This three-day event has quickly become a premiere family entertainment attraction in Pennsylvania, specifically in the Lehigh Valley, and a favorite of ours, as well.

We had so much fun talking with people who traveled from all over Pennsylvania and beyond to the event venue, a small airport in Slatington, PA, not far from our Allentown Patient First center. Of course we enjoyed providing complimentary blood pressure checks as we do with most of our events, but what was particularly exciting for us was to hear accolades we received from so many event participants who had also previously been patients at all of our Lehigh Valley centers, and beyond including Central PA, South Jersey and Maryland.

Our Sunday event staff even got a thrill by hopping in the basket of the Patient First sponsored balloon. Our balloon and many others filled the Lehigh Valley sky with a spectrum of color against the scenic backdrop of the Lehigh Gap. And for those seeking extra thrills, if they stayed on site until dusk on Friday and Saturday nights, organizers put on quite a spectacular laser light show and balloon glow set to music. 

Event organizers were so nice to work with, again this year, and we are already excited about returning in 2025.

It was an Eco Extravaganza in Easton on Sunday, August 18, 2024, and Patient First was part of the action. The Easton Area Chamber of Commerce hosted this event. It was a fun new event for us, and it celebrated ethical eating, eco-consciousness and healthy living. This was a free event that invited locals to come check out the excitement at Scott Park for a day full of food, music, wellness, vendors and more. The venue was amazing - situated right along the Lehigh River. Renowned boxer Larry Holmes, an Easton native, is the namesake for the park. He was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985 and is often considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

The event attracted people from all over the Lehigh Valley, as well as New Jersey and New York,. We had so much fun chatting with folks, providing free blood pressure checks, answering lots of questions, and of course providing a whole array of Patient First giveaway items.

The main stage provided musical entertainment all day. It was fun to see people participating in yoga activities, and we enjoyed visits from a variety of event participated who came by with their pets as it was a pet-friendly and family-friendly event. Several food trucks and special treat vendors satisfied event goers, as well.

We really enjoy Chamber of Commerce sponsored events like these, and participate as much as our booking schedule allows. We are already looking forward to what is next in the Lehigh Valley!

Musikfest is the largest annual event in the Lehigh Valley, and once again we were able to be part of the fun! This 10-day August event is the country's largest free music festival, and it generally draws more than 1 million people to Bethlehem, PA annually. Locals love this event because it provides 10 days of great music, with enough variety to appeal to everybody; and, it also provides a huge economic impact to the city and the entire Lehigh Valley area since it attracts people from all over Pennsylvania, many of our nearby states and others from near and far. We opened the event on the first day this year - preview day - and it drew nearly 7,000 ticketed guests for the evening's headliner performance.

Although we are only there for a single, day, organizers always go above and beyond to be accommodating and welcoming to us, and this year was no different. Thanks to our friends there, we were set up in a prime location to be seen by and interact with concert goers. We were right along the walkway to the big evening concert which was so much fun!

We received many praises about the quality of our care, and for always being available to patients seven days a week including weekends and holidays on a walk-in basis, no appointments necessary

As always, we were happy to provide complimentary blood pressure checks for a steady stream of adult Fest-goers who stopped by our tent on event day. Our give-away items were also a big hit. We shall definitely return again next year as this has become one of our favorite "legacy" events over the years. Kassie Hilgert, the organization's President and CEO and her team of event organizers are great to work with; and, they always help us by providing easy access to our set-up location, and convenient parking nearby. This location also hosts the Christkindlmarkt and PeepsFest events, which we also generally build into our booking schedule each year.

The Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites organization hosted its 37th annual Blueberry Festival at the beautiful Burnside Plantation, and Patient First was once again part of the fun of all things blueberry. We have participated in this event several times over the years, and were delighted to return again this year. Although Mother Nature threatened to deliver thunderstorms all weekend during the event, she was wrong. Instead of rain we got dry air and blistering heat, which made the blueberry pie and blueberry ice cream taste extra special. Although the overall foot traffic was down a bit this year (most likely due to the extreme heat), we enjoyed a steady flow of visits to our tent on both days of this weekend event. 

As always, we provided complimentary blood pressure checks and a variety a great give away items. It is always nice to see the organization's President and CEO, LoriAnn Wukitsch, and this year was no exception. She made a point to drop by our tent for a visit and to thank us for participating in this event once again. So many visitors from all over the Lehigh Valley and beyond stopped by and shared stories of their positive visits to our centers. In fact, one of the early visitors to our tent set the mood for our entire first day. She approached us with a big smile and an "I Love Patient First" greeting. She raved about several visits to our nearby Bethlehem center and sang praises for the center's Medical Director who has treated her several times during the past year.

Each year this event features crafters, artists and vendors of all types, live entertainment on two stages, contests, games and activities and so much more. Of course a variety of fresh blueberry pie, strudel and coffee cake and all kinds of other edible treats featuring blueberries were a highlight of the event. Proceeds from this event help Historic Bethlehem maintain 20 historic landmarks in Bethlehem. This organization also hosts the annual "Apple Days" event at the same location, and we are looking forward to returning for that this Fall!

Historically, the Devon Horse Show & Country Fair can trace its late spring/early summer roots all the way back to 1896. It is both the oldest and largest outdoor multi-breed horse competition in the United States. Fortunately for us, it's also located directly across the street from our center on Lancaster Avenue in Devon. It's great to be a part of such a prestigious event. Over the years, it's become one of our favorite signature events of the year.

Since we opened our Devon center, we've been fortunate to develop a great relationship with the Horse Show executives and staff. We're also proud to be a "presenting sponsor" for a really fun children's event on the final day of the big event - the "Itty Bitty Hat Parade."

The Horse Show is an enormous multi-million dollar 11-day event that attracts some amazing horses from around the country and around the world. It attracts elite horsemen and women who compete and show their prize horses. It attracts more than 125,000 visitors, and is truly a huge and anticipated event each year in the community. The Country Fair element was added to the event in 1919 as the philanthropic arm for the organization. 

Each year moms and dads, grandparents, and other adults bring their children to the covered pavilion on site where we are set up with two tables. On one table, we provide complimentary blood pressure checks for adults along with our usual Patient First swag. The second table is set up catering directly to children, where we provide a coloring table complete with horse-related coloring sheets and mini-crayon boxes for the kids to enjoy. We always have a great turnout of children and families throughout the day when we're there. Fun times for sure, and we are already looking forward to our return in 2025.