NORTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – Former President Donald Trump is set to hold a campaign rally Saturday night in Schnecksville.
The rally outside the Schnecksville Fire Hall off Route 309 will come just two days before the start of Trump’s criminal trial Monday in Manhattan over alleged hush money payments to cover up a sex scandal during the 2016 election.
Some things to know about his visit to Lehigh County:
Traffic
If you’re planning on being on the road Saturday afternoon and evening, you may want to avoid Route 22 in the Allentown area and Route 309 north of Route 22 in Lehigh County.
Pennsylvania State Police say to expect traffic delays and intermittent road closures from 3 to 9 p.m. in the following areas:
- Route 22, both eastbound and westbound
- Route 309, both northbound and southbound (to the area of Route 873)
- Old Packhouse Road in Schnecksville
Message signs will be located throughout the area advising motorists of traffic conditions, state police said. Folks are encouraged to use www.511pa.com to follow the most up-to-date travel conditions on Saturday.
Tickets
Organizers say they’re expecting 5,000 to 6,000 people for the rally. As of Friday, tickets were still available at the Trump campaign website. There was a limit of two tickets per registered cell phone number.
The former president and presumptive Republican nominee for president is scheduled to address the rally at 7 p.m., but there will be lots of activity before then.
Gates to the grounds outside the fire hall – this is an outdoor event – will open at 3 p.m.
Judging from the campaign website, this is the last public campaign event before the start of jury selection scheduled Monday in a Manhattan courthouse. Trump is required to be in court for the proceedings expected to last six to eight weeks.
Weather forecast
Hold on to your hat. The Lehigh Valley is under a wind advisory until 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The morning will bring a slight chance of showers that should be confined north of Interstate 78 as a low-pressure system moves away, but breezy to windy conditions will emerge.
Gusts up to 45 mph are possible during the day, especially in the higher terrain, the weather service said.
Winds are expected to diminish Saturday night, but temperatures will be a few degrees below normal, with lows in the low to mid-40s.
Campaign visits
This will be Trump’s first official visit back in the Lehigh Valley since just before the presidential election in 2020. While in the White House and during his 2020 re-election campaign, he made two stops in the Lehigh Valley.
The last was on Oct. 26, 2020, when he visited HoverTech International, a medical equipment manufacturer in Hanover Township, Northampton County.
His opponent, President Joe Biden, was in the Lehigh Valley in January when he toured Main Street in Emmaus and visited the Mack South Fire Station and Allentown Fire Training Academy.
Earlier this week
Check out this story from earlier in the week about preparations for the Trump rally in Lehigh County. And you can check back with coverage of the rally later Saturday at LehighValleyNews.com.
Managing producer Stephanie Sigafoos contributed to this report.
