First Fridays Return In Hatboro After Absence

HATBORO, PA — It's something you'll see on the first Friday of every month as you drive or stroll through Ambler and some other communities in the Philadelphia region.

People are out milling about. Shops have their doors open. Music is playing. The smell of food fills the air. And people are having a good time enjoying their community.

These days and evenings are called First Fridays.

But for places like Doylestown and Hatboro, they had vanished from the community calendar.

Until last Friday.

On Friday, York Road was the site for the borough's First Friday in quite some time.

"It went well," Mayor Tim Schultz told Patch Tuesday. "We had vendors on the streets. Store owners opened their doors and stayed open later. It was a little bit chilly, but overall it was a good first run."

The sequel is planned for Friday, May 2.

Schultz said he expects more attendees when the weather warms up and the calendar hits May, June, and the summer months. The mayor said First Fridays will be held from April through December.

The borough used to hold First Fridays over 10 years ago, the mayor said. The Hatboro Borough Council signed off on holding them again after the mayor conferred with the Hatboro Chamber of Commerce, Borough Manager Diane Hegele, and police and council members.

"I'm thrilled we have more activities," Schultz said. "It keeps the lights on on Fridays."

The Hatboro Chamber of Commerce asks residents to come to First Fridays to check out new and old businesses along York Road that are offering specials and promotions and participate with their children in a scavenger hunt.

(Hatboro Chamber of Commerce)