The Lehighton Area Merchants Association will host the first of three street festivals this weekend.

Walpurgis, a celebration of spring, will be held from 2-10 p.m. Saturday along First Street. The street will be closed to traffic from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Tina Henninger, secretary, Lehighton Area Merchants Association, said there will be two traditional dances that welcome audience participation of both young and old.

Henninger said the Maypole is a simple dance using ribbons attached to a 20-foot decorated pole, while the Hexenbrut is an easy-to-follow dance that takes place during the spring and autumn.

She said the Lehighton Memorial Library will provide a reading tent for youngsters.

Henninger said LAMA is providing a crafting area for children, and several nonprofit groups will be selling food.

She said there will also be several unique vendors selling handcrafted items, along with a DJ and a procession at sunset.

Henninger said the theme of this year’s Walpurgis is “Flowers, Fire, and Fairies.”

She said they will have both Kings and Queens of the Light and Dark Fairies who will be recruiting a court throughout the day.

Henninger said Spring/Nature costumes and wings are encouraged.

“The goal is to bring new people into the downtown area and show them that Lehighton is improving the area, businesses are moving in, buildings are being rehabbed/improved, and undesirable aspects are being corrected/removed,” Henninger said. “A secondary goal is to bring in a bolus of customers for our brick and mortar businesses; both to expose them to new customers and for outright sales, it’s been a rough recovery from the shutdown era, and a large sales day here and there make a word of difference to Mom & Pop businesses.”

Henninger added that Walpurgis is a celebration of spring, and that this includes flowers and warmth, or in their case, fire.

“This is a very unique event for our area,” she said. “It is based on folklore and customs from German and Celtic roots.”

Henninger noted that they built a 20-foot Maypole to help bring the community together in a simple dance, and will also dance the Hexenbrut at 4 p.m. and at sunset.

For more information, visit the group’s Facebook page.

The Lehighton Memorial Library is an active partner and will be hosting their own tent at all of LAMA’s events, Henninger said.

“LAMA sets aside free spots for nonprofits as a way to give back to the community, and we encourage them to conduct fundraisers during our events,” she said. “So by supporting our events, they are also supporting several local nonprofits such as the fire department, Scouts, Lioness Club, etc.”

Henninger said the other two events upcoming are Spellbinding Street Fair, from 2-8 p.m. Sept. 21, and the Witches’ Midnight Market from 2-11 p.m. Oct 26.

“Last year’s market brought in over 7,000 people, and we already have 52,000 interested in the October event already, so we are doubling the size of that event this year,” she said. “All our events take place downtown on First Street between North and Iron streets.

Henninger said they are asking nonprofits to reach out to them regarding spaces for September and October’s events, and that for every 10 paid vendor spots, a free nonprofit space is generated.