The 2026 Cops ‘n’ Kids 18th Annual Celebration of Reading . . . and the Arts and Sciences event is tentatively scheduled to be held at the Northampton Community College Fowler Family Southside Center at 511 East Third Street on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 11 am – 3 pm—with an opening parade beginning at 10:30 am at the Greenway entrance on New Street between Third and Fourth Streets. We ask that all parade participants plan on being at the Greenway entrance by 10:15 am on the day of the event. With the support of our entire community, our award-winning Cops ‘n’ Kids Children’s Literacy Program has reached a remarkable milestone, distributing almost 1.3 million free books thus far—1,283,180 to be exact. To celebrate this accomplishment and the children of our community, all are invited to join us (rain or shine) for a day of food, fun, family, crafts, entertainment, laughter—and, of course, literacy. A particularly cherished attraction of our Cops ‘n’ Kids Celebration of Reading . . . and the Arts and Sciences event is the opening parade. This special “happening” has included students representing all Bethlehem Area School District elementary schools. This has proven to be quite a hit with both participating schools and those from the community in attendance. By popular demand, we will again be inviting representatives of each of the elementary schools to participate in the opening parade for our 2026 event. We are asking that a poster be created by each of the schools. These “works of art” will decorate the main entrance to the event site. The general theme for this year’s event is “LET’S ALL GO ON A READING ADVENTURE!” We are hoping to have the school name on each of the posters, along with a creative depiction of this adventuresome theme. Our target date for completed/laminated posters is April 10, 2026. We are also asking that each school send between 10 – 20 students to march in the opening parade, with each elementary school carrying its school banner. All participating students and their teachers will be provided with Cops ‘n’ Kids t-shirts provided by Just Born, Inc. In order that we are able to place the order for the t-shirts in a timely manner, please submit sizes/numbers prior to March 9, 2026. Specify Youth or Adult sizes S, M, L, XL. Together, we have made a difference; and we look forward to getting together again to celebrate our community and to thank everyone for helping us in our mission of “connecting kids and community through literacy.” Please feel free to contact me at 610-217-9477 or lvcops-n-kids@att.net if you have any questions/concerns—and thank you for helping to make this event a “magical” experience!
