Patient First in the Community

We had such a blast at Woodbury's 2023 Fall Festival Parade, and we were well represented by an all-Woodbury staff team walking along the parade route this year. It's always great to be invited back to participate in this amazing community event, where we have been part of the action several times over the years. We have so much fun every year and really enjoy interacting with the huge and very enthusiastic crowd the parade draws each year. This year was no exception.

Parade goers enjoyed a beautiful fall evening - albeit a bit chilly and breezy - as they watched the participants strut their stuff down Woodbury's Broad Street. We waved at and greeted so many locals and even out-of-towners who came out for the evening to enjoy the parade. This year's parade was Woodbury's 73rd annual event, and the theme this year was "Halloween." There were many parade entries who adopted this theme to entertain everyone along the parade route.

Our team of Woodbury Patient First center staff were so excited to step out of their center to enjoy a brisk evening walk, sharing lots of waves and smiles along the way. They had so much fun! This event is likely to be one of the largest events Woodbury presents each year, and it is always a favorite among locals and others who anxiously await its arrival each October.

It was a "Spooktacular" weekend for a Hot Air Balloon Festival.  This event has been billed the largest fall laser lit hot air balloon, music and glow festival in North America. It has become a premiere family entertainment attraction in Pennsylvania, specifically the Lehigh Valley. We were so excited to be able to participate in this event for the first time, and hope we will be able to return in 2024. It was great fun to meet and greet so many nice people from near and far.

The event drew an enormous crowd - on Saturday, in particular, when the weather was most favorable. People came from all over Pennsylvania from Western and Central PA, to Northeastern PA and the Philadelphia area and its suburbs, and many locations in between. We also had many out of state visitors to our tent, many who have had visits to Patient First in New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.

What a thrill it was to have our own branded Patient First sponsored basket on one of the giant balloons! We even got to meet the balloon pilot and his crew. They were great people and so friendly.

Although windy conditions on Friday and Sunday kept the balloons grounded, dozens of technicolored balloons lifted off just after sunrise and before sunset on Saturday, creating quite a spectacular sight. The Lehigh Valley sky just north of our Allentown, PA center was filled with a spectrum of color against the scenic backdrop of the Lehigh Gap. Those seeking extra thrills stayed after dark on Friday and Saturday nights to enjoy a live DJ, laser light show, Balloon Glow, and fireworks. To accommodate everyone, Sunday was designated as "Family Fun Day," and the festival gave back to the community by hosting a free day of fun for special needs children and adults. What a great event this was for one and all. Our kudos to event organizers, and to the many balloon pilots and their crews and other vendors who stopped by to make our experience such a good one!

Mother Nature may not have been kind to the 2023 Celtic Classic event in Bethlehem, PA, but that surely didn't dampen our spirits, or the spirits of the world-class athletes who competed in the event, nor those of their families and friends, and attendees from all over the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

Much to our delight, after all of the competitions concluded, several of the athletes came out into the crowd for food and beverage, and even a visit to our Patient First tent. We enjoyed great conversations with them, and even provided free blood pressure checks to those who were interested. It was such fun to meet and chat with these athletes in person. They were such fun, and so conversational with us!

It was also great fun to see men, women and children of all ages in their kilts in keeping with the theme of the event and the Celtic cultural heritage. We enjoyed many compliments from people who had used the services of our Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton centers, as well as other centers as far away as New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. That always makes us feel good.

This annual celebration is hosted by the Celtic Cultural Alliance. Those who came enjoyed five stages of live music and the annual U.S. Highland Games National Championship during this multi-day event. It has earned its place as one of the biggest events on the Lehigh Valley's fall calendar each year.

How many days until the 2024 event? We can hardly wait to return! The staff, organizers and volunteers from this organization make participating in an event of this size a real pleasure for us and we are thrilled to be included each year.

The Great Allentown Fair celebrated its 171st anniversary at the Allentown Fairgrounds this year, and Patient First was part of the fun as a sponsor. The Fairgrounds location is very close to our Allentown center, and it has a big draw from throughout the Lehigh Valley and beyond each year. We were delighted to hear so many positive comments about patient experiences in our Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and Wyomissing centers, as well as from folks who visited from even farther away including Central Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Maryland.

This event never disappoints. The Fair has been a Labor Day weekend tradition, and it always has a little something for everyone to enjoy, from livestock to amusement rides, concerts, games, contests, food and so much more. We love returning to this event each year as a sponsor, and we are especially happy that Mother Nature gave us perfect weather for our participation in this year's event as she did in 2021.

We enjoyed a great churn of foot traffic all day from the early birds who came by during the morning hours and then those who stop by during their lunchtime, followed by an after-school crowd of parent with school age children, to the later crowd which was a mixture of all ages who came for food, fun, amusements and of course the evening headline show. We can't wait to return in 2024!

This event has always been a fun one for Patient First to be part of, and it was great to be back again this year as a sponsor! Mother Nature was kind to us on event day too, delivering a beautiful summer day -- hot and sunny, and no rain until after the event concluded. The crowd this year was enormous, and the number of vendors on site doubled to more than 100 this year!

A big shout out to the Spring-Ford Chamber of Commerce and the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce. This event was a joint production of theirs, and it was well done and very organized.

The Spring-Ford Area High School marching band performed to kick things off for the day. There were several food trucks on site as well to keep people fed and hydrated. Many area first responders came out for the event to show off their equipment. It was also fun to have a disc jockey playing music all day for everyone to enjoy.

We handled a steady stream of requests for blood pressure checks all day. We were happy to hear from so many people who have been patients - some with frequency - at both our Pottstown and Collegeville locations. It is always so rewarding for us to hear from patients and community members who have praises to share about the quality of their care and their experiences in our centers. They are always happy that with Patient First they can walk in to any of our locations without an appointment any day of the week, including weekends and holidays.

We're counting the weeks until the 2024 Community Day!

Musikfest returned for its 40th year in the Lehigh Valley and Patient First was part of the action on "Preview Night" again this year. The Bethlehem, PA event is the country's largest free music festival, and it draws more than 1 million people annually. A record-breaking 1,240,000 people attended Musikfest in 2022, and 2023 attendance will likely be larger. This 10-day festival features more than 500 performances across 16 stages located throughout the city of Bethlehem. It is so much fun and we love being part of the activities each year!

Hundreds of performances can be enjoyed by 'Festers' throughout the run of the event, and almost all of the events are free. The only ones that required a purchased ticket are the headliners each evening. On our day at the fair, the band AJR was the headliner and performed to a sold out crowd of 7,000+ people.

Although we are only able to be on site for a single day, event organizers, staff and volunteers always go above and beyond to be accommodating and welcoming to us, and we couldn't be happier.

The event is enormous, and spread out over a large area, but with the prime location we were stationed gave us the ability to talk with so many people up close and personally while on Preview Night. We offered complimentary blood pressure checks, and of course a variety of giveaway items that are always a hit.

It made us smile hearing about how happy folks are who have had the opportunity to visit any of our centers as a patient. Our Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton centers were the centers most event participants raved about. We did have others visit us from all over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, as well.

This is always such a great event. We are already looking forward to our return in 2024!

Patient First has participated in Woodbury's FAF Coalition Lot 323 Experience since 2017, and each year the event seems to grow and become even more fun than the year prior. 

Lot 323 is a cool, urban pop-up park right in the heart of Woodbury, NJ. It has a funky industrial vibe that is an inviting area to gather, play, relax and enjoy light fare and entertainment. The event provides a great gathering place for the public, as well as emerging artists and musicians, other arts and cultural organization, schools and educations groups to enjoy an evening out. Focal points included a large performing area stage, food trucks, art installations and music sculptures.

Although we hoped to be on site twice this summer, Mother Nature had other plans, forcing organizers to cancel an event in late June. But the July event we attended was warm and dry, and it far exceeded our expectations. It was great fun, and it gave us an opportunity to reconnect with many long-time Patient First fans who have had great experiences in our centers. We also had an opportunity to introduce what we do to several new folks from the community who stopped by to visit with us. 

The organization hosts these FREE Friday events several times during the summer for residents of Woodbury, and nearby towns. We are already looking forward to returning for the 2024 event season.

The Burlington County Farm Fair in South Jersey has become a legacy event for Patient First, with our participation spanning the years. It was great to be back again this year!

The fair's mission is to promote agriculture, social life, and youth, as well as educating the general public by conducting a yearly agricultural fair with exhibits, livestock and farm products.

Located on the beautiful Burlington County Fairgrounds in Springfield Township, NJ, the Fair offered a variety of activities to the thousands of visitors that attended. The location of the Fairgrounds is about midway between our Delran and Hamilton Patient First centers, and it draws people from all over New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania. It's a big deal in South Jersey, and we always have fun being there.

Historically, Fair Week has been one of the hottest weeks of the year, and Mother Nature didn't disappoint this year, either. Although our day started off sketchy with heavy rains, the storms quickly passed and it ended up being a hot, steamy, but overall fantastic day.

Fair Manager Rosemary Kay and her team were a delight to work with again this year, and we are so pleased to have received such a warm welcome back to this year's event.

The Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Organization hosted its 36th annual Blueberry Festival at the beautiful Burnside Plantation in mid-July, and we were pleased to once again be a part of the fun!

This event was very busy and featured crafters, artists and vendors; historical and canine demonstrations; live entertainment on two stages; pony rides; contests, games and activities; and, of course, a variety of all things blueberry including pie, ice cream, strudel, and coffee cake, plus blueberry jams and jellies, salsas, syrup, coffee, baking mixes and even blueberry bushes to take home and grow at home.

Saturday's event day was a blockbuster! It was very warm and sunny, and we were very busy with lots of people from all over the Lehigh Valley and beyond, stopping by our tent for a free blood pressure check, or to pick up some of our many give away items.. In the spirit of "all things blueberry" we also provided a blueberry muffin recipe, which was a big hit as well. We even had a visit from Miss Pennsylvania 2023 Miranda Moore, who dropped by for a blood pressure check before heading off to judge the pie eating contest.

Mother Nature was not so kind on the second day of the event, delivering rain the entire day. Even though the second day was a wet one, we were happy to be a part of things, and we are looking forward to returning this fall to participate in Apple Days. All proceeds from these events help Historic Bethlehem maintain 20 of its historic landmarks.

The Devon Horse Show has been held in late May through early June in Devon, PA since 1896. It is both the oldest and largest outdoor multi-breed horse competition in the United States. It is also directly across the street from Patient First's Devon center location. Since we opened our Devon location several years back, we have had a great relationship with the Horse Show organizers and staff, which we have appreciated so much.

It is great to be a part of such a prestigious organization, and once again, we were the presenting sponsor for the "Itty Bitty Hat Parade" on the final day of the show, which was also Children's Day. At the event, children decorate hats as a crafting activity, and then they participate in a parade around the fairgrounds. It is such a fun and adorable event, and it has been organized by the same delightful lady and her daughter since we first came on board. It's an excellent event hosted by excellent people, and this year did not disappoint!

Miss Pennsylvania 2022 event appeared at the event this year and she, too, participated in the parade to the delight of all the children who strutted their stuff in the beautiful and creative new hats that they had just decorated. It was a perfect weather day, the crowd was huge, and we are already looking forward to returning next year.