From 1935 to 1974, the Slatington and Palmerton high school football teams played on Thanksgiving Day (with one exception because of weather). These games were part of a continuing sports rivalry between the two towns that spanned most of the twentieth century.
While the two high schools, now known today as Northern Lehigh High School and Palmerton Area High School, still play an annual football game, usually the last game of the regular season, the Thanksgiving Day rivalry ended in 1974 after forty years of games. The final record was 24 wins for Palmerton, 14 wins for Slatington and 2 ties.
Here I explore that Thanksgiving football rivalry.
The two towns, Slatington and Palmerton
The tradition of Thanksgiving Day football in the Lehigh Valley
Early football played in Slatington
The football fields
Slatington v Palmerton since 1974
| 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
| 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 |
| 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
| 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 |
| 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
| 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 |
| 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 |
Some suggested reading
Evan Burian, Sports Legends of the Lehigh Valley (1998)
Evan Burian, Ancient Rivals and Thanksgiving Football in the Lehigh Valley (2004)
Kevin Gorman, Tales from Pennsylvania High School Football (2008)
Dave Leone, The Rivalry: A Profile in Tradition, Phillipsburg, NJ vs Easton, PA (2016)