A long-standing carnival, along with a popular youth athletic association program, have been scratched in Walnutport because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports at the Walnutport Borough Council meeting.

Brian Filchner, president of the Walnutport Playground Association, informed borough council on Thursday that the Northern Lehigh softball and baseball programs have been canceled.

“We had ordered all the uniforms before the COVID shutdown,” Filchner said. “We’re currently sitting with 115 uniforms.”

After the meeting, Filchner said, “Leagues have been holding off and holding off, and had been hopeful of having a season. But we as an organization feel that it’s just best for everybody, the players and parents involved, to cancel the season.”

The season usually starts at the end of April and wraps up by the first or second week of June, said Filchner, who added the cancellation was a decision the WPA didn’t take lightly.

“I feel terrible for the kids who look forward to playing,” he said. “They still had hope of going outside and playing with their friends.”

Filchner said the pickup uniform handout will enable parents to come by and pick up their uniform, and that the group will refund the total fee for softball, minus the cost of the uniform.

“They will get the cost of the uniform, and all the other money back,” he said. “Our softball players get new uniforms every year, so next year when they sign up, they will use that uniform, and they won’t have to pay for another uniform.”

Filchner said there is a plan in place in the event the uniform doesn’t fit.

“Jerseys are made for size; we would not be able to exchange the jersey,” he said. “If that person needs a jersey next year, they will just have to purchase a jersey; everything else is interchangeable.”

Above all else, Filchner said his heart goes out to the youth who look forward to the season.

“As an organization, I just feel bad for the kids not being able to have a normal summer where they can get out and play ball and be with their friends,” he said.

Carnival

Robert Treskot, co-chair of the Walnutport Playground Association Carnival, said this year’s event, scheduled to have been held July 7-11 at the playground on Lincoln Avenue, has been canceled.

The organization’s Easter Egg Hunt that was scheduled to be held last month was also canceled due to COVID-19.

As a result, Treskot said the candy that was purchased has been donated to the Northern Lehigh School District’s Grab-N-Go Lunch Program.

Filchner said after the meeting that the carnival supports the playground association’s boys and girls softball and baseball programs.

“The carnival is our only fundraiser the playground has all year; that’s our only source of income,” he said. “We are self-sufficient; that’s our breadwinner.”

Filchner said the organization plans to hold a fundraiser at some point in the fall.

Treskot said the decision to cancel the carnival was not an easy one.

“We just couldn’t have the carnival because who knows what’s going to happen in the next year,” he said.

Treskot, who co-chairs the event with his daughter, Gale Husack, said there’s a lot of preparation that goes into putting the event together.

“We start getting ready for this carnival in June already,” he said. “There’s no way we could be ready.”

Treskot said he contacted Nonweiler Amusements, Celebration Fireworks, and the bands to let them know this year’s event was not going to happen.

“And everybody I talked to knew that they were going to get a call sooner than later, and that we should cancel it,” he said. “They’re all happy to come back next year.”

Filchner agreed with Treskot’s assessment.

“We didn’t want to leave those vendors out there hanging,” he said. “So we wanted to give them ample time and ample notice.”

Treskot remained optimistic, as plans are already in place to hold next year’s carnival July 6-10.

“We couldn’t do this without Brian’s help,” he said. “And all the other members of the playground are a tremendous help.”