After years of fundraising, the Emerald Playground Association has LED lights on its ballfields.

In 2019, Whitehall High School got new lights for its football stadium, and the old lights were up for grabs. The Emerald Playground Association of Slatington happily took them. Unfortunately, those lights used too much energy and required an expensive electrical upgrade at the Emerald ballfields.

Chad Christman, president of the Playground Association, started working on a plan to raise money for LED lights.

The group held fundraisers, including purse bingos and gun raffles, and the money from the food stand at the games bought the first items needed, which were the light poles, at a cost of $10,000.

Grace Industries Inc. installed the poles free of charge. The group did receive a grant from The IronPigs for batting cages, which left money raised to purchase the five sets of lights for both fields, and the brackets and wiring to assemble the lights on the poles.

Christman wants to give a big shout out to his fundraising committee and GR Electric, BEI Electric, Snyder’s Welding, Barrall Painting, All Jay’s Landscaping, Marsh Property Improvements, and Schatz Construction for all their time and equipment.

“This means so much to our Northern Lehigh community, the athletes and their families,” Christman said. “We are so appreciative to the people and businesses who donated their time and skills for this project including help from the Slatington Rotary Club and the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.”

The association celebrated with a doubleheader Monday night.