A Tradition Thirty-Four Years in the Making
In 1991, Evelyn Borger and Sandy Gutshall envisioned a new annual gathering, inspired by a beloved community picnic held in 1979 to celebrate the Coopersburg Centennial. Evelyn approached Ken Mohr, Jr., and asked him to make it real. Her direction was memorable: not carnival-like. That two-word brief has quietly shaped everything about Community Day ever since.
Ken assembled a founding committee and got to work. It was Bill Miracle who took that vision and turned it into something you could walk through. Leading the ground crew, Bill transformed Memorial Park into a welcoming venue, converting an idea on paper into a three-dimensional reality. Together, Ken and Bill set a standard of completeness that has defined the event from the very first day.
"It is so much bigger than I had imagined."
— Evelyn Borger, on the morning of the first Community Day, 1992On the morning of that inaugural event, as vendors set up their exhibits and the park came alive, Evelyn turned to Ken and said exactly that. Ken's reply: "It is so much bigger than I had imagined too." That shared sense of wonder has a way of repeating itself every September.
Early editions of the event featured everything from Irish Step Dancers and Marionette Troupes to homemade pierogies, ShooFly Pie, and Fried Oreos, the kind of lineup you can only find at a real small-town celebration. Word spread quickly. Within a few years, corporate sponsors were approaching the organizing committee asking to participate before the annual solicitation letters had even gone out. Community Day had become something people wanted to be part of.
Over the decades, a rotating cast of dedicated volunteers has carried the event forward, each era leaving its own imprint. Crafters found a home here for years thanks to the steady hands of Jack Siplak and Paul McAndrews. Joyce Eisenhart and Pat Pechacek ran the flea market with the kind of reliability that volunteers dream of.
The antique car and small engine display is a feat of community organizing in its own right, assembled each year from enthusiasts across the region. Don Bassler was among the first to take on that challenge, with Rob Newhard joining the effort along the way, and Roger Moyer carrying the torch today. And through it all, the books have been kept with quiet precision by treasurer Pam Page, nearly from the very beginning.
What began with a handful of volunteers has grown into one of the Lehigh Valley's most beloved annual traditions, drawing over 10,000 attendees each September, with 60+ nonprofit organizations, 75+ craft vendors, and more than 70 business sponsors. Community Day runs entirely on the dedication of people who believe in it. That commitment reached a meaningful milestone in 2026, when CCD formally established its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, cementing its independence and ensuring the mission endures for generations to come. The Coopersburg Historical Society, who presented Community Day for over 30 years, recently launched a new website dedicated to preserving the rich history of our borough, well worth a visit.
