Lake Wallenpaupack was finished in 1926. That makes this year the lake’s hundredth summer, and the Chamber of the Northern Poconos has built a 3-day celebration around it (plus a warm-up party the weekend before).
“Launch” Your Intentions by Monday, July 20: The Boat Parade
If you own a boat & have wanted to decorate it like a Fleetwood Mac album cover, this is your moment to shine. The Lake Wallenpaupack Centennial boat parade, themed “Rock the Boat: 100 Years of Hits,” starts Saturday, July 25 at 10 a.m. in front of the Tafton Dike, with lineup starting at 9 a.m. near Spinnler Point & the Boathouse Restaurant. Entry is $30 per boat. PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED!
- 1st prize is $500 and a trophy
- 2nd prize is $250
- 3rd prize is $100
- 4th place gets a trophy.
Registration closes Monday, July 20 at 4 p.m., so if you are ready to “Rock the Boat,” you have only a short window left. The entry form is on the Chamber’s centennial page linked above.
Saturday, July 18: The Lake Wally Birthday Bash
The Birthday Bash at Silver Birches Resort, 205 Route 507 in Hawley, starts at 12:00 noon and rocks on till 10 p.m. It is circus-themed, which is a sentence I did not expect to write about a lake’s birthday. Live music headlined by Steppin’ Eddy, circus performers, artisan vendors, a pet parade, and birthday treats. It closes with a 21-and-over pool party after dark. This is the warm-up weekend, a full week before the main event, maybe plan on another trip next weekend!
Friday, July 24: Lake Wallenpaupack History Day
This is the one I would not skip. Brookfield Renewable is hosting two presentations at the Lake Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center in Hawley from 1 to 5 p.m.
At 1 p.m., DJ Roberts presents the History of Creating Lake Wallenpaupack. At 3 p.m., Jon Tandy presents “The Town Under the Lake.” There was a valley here before there was a lake, with roads and farms and a village in it, and the water went over all of it. If you own property on this lake, or you are thinking about it, that is the story underneath your view.
Also on Friday the 24th, official centennial merchandise is available under the tents at the Lake Wallenpaupack Visitors Center, 2512 Route 6 in Hawley, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Same hours Saturday.
Saturday, July 25: The Big Lake Wallenpaupack Centennial Event
After the boat parade wraps, Wally 100 takes over from noon to 4 p.m., with local bands playing from a floating stage in front of the Tafton Dike. Watch from shore or from your boat.
A few more things stacked on the same day:
- 1st Klas Marina at 387 Route 507 in Tafton is offering free boat demos from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Features on deck are: Harris pontoons, Lund fishing boats, Bayliner and Crownline.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of NEPA is holding a cornhole tournament around the Visitors Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Specifics: two-person teams, $50 per team, single elimination, capped at 30 teams. Register in advance through BBBS at 570-824-8756.
- Free outdoor showing of “National Treasure” in Bingham Park on Main Avenue in Hawley, starting at dusk. Bring a chair, blanket, & snacks. Stormy weather? The movie moves to the Hawley Fire Department. A fitting choice, if you think about it, for a town by a lake with a town at the bottom of it.
Live Music, Four Nights Worth
Harmony in the Woods, 19 Imagination Way in Hawley, has four shows in this window, all at 6 p.m. with parking opening an hour before.
- Friday July 17 is Bandits on the Run, a Brooklyn indie-folk trio, $25.
- Saturday July 18 is SoulShine, an Allman Brothers tribute, which is sold out with a waitlist.
- Friday July 24 is Pressing Strings, blues-rock Americana out of Annapolis, $28.
- Saturday July 25 is the Adam Ezra Group, $40. BYOB, bring a chair or blanket, golf cart shuttle from the lot.
Call 570-503-6685 for info.
The Wildflower Concert Series at the Wildflower Amphitheater on the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary grounds, Long Ridge Road in White Mills, has two upcoming concerts.
- Saturday July 18 is Forever Seger, a Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band tribute.
- Saturday July 25 is Tapestry, the Carole King Songbook, starring Suzanne O Davis.
Both are at 6 p.m., seating opens around 5, first come, first served. You are welcome to bring your own food and drink (including beer and wine). Any 2026 ticket is good for any one concert. Rain moves it indoors to Wallenpaupack Area High School, where food and drink are not permitted.
Call 570-253-5500 after noon on show day if the sky looks iffy.
Not Into the Lake Wallenpaupack Celebrations? Here’s More to Do!
Wallenpaupack Brewing Company on Welwood Avenue in Hawley offers live music noon to 9 p.m. both Friday July 24 and Saturday July 25.
Three Hammers Winery, 877 Welcome Lake Road in Hawley, holds its annual Pour It Forward charity car show starting at noon on Saturday July 25. 570-949-4688. Sorry….no pets on the property.
Claws ‘N’ Paws Wild Animal Park in Lake Ariel is having Kids ‘N’ Critters Day on Saturday July 25, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with face painting, animal-themed crafts, enrichment-making for the animals, and an artifact table. Regular admission applies.
The Ritz Company Playhouse, 512 Keystone Street in Hawley, is running “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at 8 p.m. on both July 24 and July 25. Enjoy local community theater in a restored Art Deco playhouse that has been at it since 1973. $20 adults, $15 seniors 65 and up and students. Call 570-226-9752 for info.
And the Carousel Water and Fun Park in Beach Lake offers Friday Night Summer Swims every Friday all summer, 5 to 8 p.m., $12 per person. The cafe is open with many options and of course, what we all scream for in the summer ICE CREAM! Well, I scream for it all year long, but I digress.
Farmers Markets Reminder
The Hawley Farmers Market runs Fridays 2 to 5 p.m. at Bingham Park, Main Avenue, through October 17. The Wayne County Farmers Market runs Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Dave’s Super Duper lot, 200 Willow Avenue in Honesdale, grower and producer only, running since 1975.
Saturday, July 18: A Leisurely Hike and a Quiet Paddle
Away from the Lake Wally party, Lacawac Sanctuary at 94 Sanctuary Road in Lake Ariel marks Lakes Appreciation Month with a hike and paddle on Saturday July 18, 9 a.m. to noon. Resident lake scientist Theresa Black leads an hour along the Lake Lacawac shoreline covering the lake’s glacial origins and the research that keeps it healthy, then guides a canoe paddle out on the water. The hike is free.
The canoe is $10 per person and capped at 14 people (important note: you must use their canoes, outside canoes are not permitted…ask me how I know). Both require registration in advance, online only, by 11:59 p.m. the night before. 570-689-9494.
Lake Lacawac is a National Natural Landmark, one of the least disturbed glacial lakes in the northeast. It is a genuinely different thing from Lake Wallenpaupack, and worth an hour of your time to experience and appreciate.
Tired of People-ing? Options to Skip the Crowds Entirely
Two options, two radically different experiences.
George W. Childs Park on Silver Lake Road in Dingmans Ferry is a 1.2-mile loop past three waterfalls, Factory, Fulmer, and Deer Leap, plus the ruins of an 1820s woolen mill. Boardwalk and stairs the whole way. The first falls is accessible at about 0.4 miles in. Free admission, composting toilets at the trailhead. Two hard rules: no pets of any kind, and no swimming or wading. The lot fills on weekends, so go early. This is my favorite place to visit in Pike County, and honestly, one of our most wonderful treasures.
The Wayne County Historical Society Museum at 810 Main Street in Honesdale is the indoor option to avoid the Lake Wally party crowd, and it fits the week. It holds a full-size replica of the Stourbridge Lion, the first locomotive to run on commercial track in the United States, which made its first run in Honesdale in 1829. The museum sits in the 1860 Delaware and Hudson Canal Company headquarters. $5 for adults, free for 18 and under. 570-253-3240. Call to confirm hours before you drive; their listings are inconsistent.
Before You Go: I do my best to confirm every date, time, and price before this post goes up. Things sometimes change anyway. Schedules shift, venues sell out, or fees change. And if you have landed on this post a while after it ran, which happens more than you would think, treat the specifics as a starting point rather than gospel. Check the links provided before you make the trip.
Common Questions
What is the Lake Wallenpaupack Centennial and when is it?
Lake Wallenpaupack was completed in 1926, so 2026 is its hundredth year. The main celebration runs July 24 and 25 around the Lake Wallenpaupack Visitors Center and the Tafton Dike in Hawley, with a Birthday Bash the weekend before on July 18 at Silver Birches Resort. The centerpiece is the “Rock the Boat” boat parade on Saturday July 25 at 10 a.m., followed by Wally 100, with live bands on a floating stage from noon to 4 p.m.
How do I enter the boat parade?
Entry is $30 per boat and registration closes Monday, July 20 at 4 p.m. The entry form is on the Chamber of the Northern Poconos centennial page. Lineup is at 9 a.m. near Spinnler Point, and the parade starts at 10 a.m. in front of the Tafton Dike. Prizes run $500, $250, and $100 for the top three, plus trophies.
Is there a town under Lake Wallenpaupack?
There was a valley with roads, farms, and a village in it before the dam was completed in 1926. On Friday July 24, Jon Tandy presents “The Town Under the Lake” at 3 p.m. at the Lake Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center in Hawley, part of a free Brookfield Renewable history program running 1 to 5 p.m.
One Hundred Years of People Loving Lake Wallenpaupack
A century in, the lake region still fills up every July with people who came for a weekend and started doing the “let’s buy a lake house math” on the drive home. If that is you, I can walk you through the communities, the lakes, and what your budget will buy at Lake Wallenpaupack (or elsewhere in the Poconos). No pressure, just straight answers minus the fluff.
Talk to KarenOwn the View. Love the Life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karen Rice
Karen Rice of Keller Williams Real Estate has been a full-time Realtor since 2007. She specializes in luxury, lakefront, waterfront, and vacation home sales in the Lake Wallenpaupack, Lake Ariel, and the greater Pocono Mountains region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Thinking about a specific property or community, or just want to talk it through? Message me.
Own the View. Love the Life.
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