No Rain Date

Welcome to Episode 54 of No Rain Date, your weekly local news podcast featuring exclusive interviews with people making a difference in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

On this episode we’re pleased to welcome internationally known athlete and four-time U.S. Olympian, author, entrepreneur, motivator and health advocate Joetta Clark Diggs. This summer, Joetta will host her Determined to Reach Your Destiny (D2RYD) Speed, Agility & Track Camp at Saucon Valley High School in Hellertown. Joetta calls the Saucon Valley home and hopes to inspire young people here to reach for the stars, as she did throughout a career that spanned nearly two decades. “It’s not about making these students Olympians,” says Joetta. “It’s about making them the champions of their lives. That is way more important than being an Olympian.” Also important is family, and Joetta talks about hers–including her late father, public education reformer Joe Clark, of Lean on Me fame–as well as what it was like to compete in an Olympic trial with her sister and sister-in-law; her daughter Talitha, a Saucon Valley graduate who is now a track star at the collegiate level; and what she has planned for the future.

No Rain Date is conveniently available for download on  iTunes,  Spotify,  iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Deezer, Tunein, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts and other apps, in addition to Saucon Source. To learn more about the podcast, suggest an interview subject or share feedback, please email

Love No Rain Date? You can help support it by making a voluntary contribution and becoming a Saucon Source member today. Learn more here. And don’t forget to sign up for our Saucon Source newsletter. Enjoy the convenience of having the latest news delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as peace of mind from knowing you’ll never miss another headline. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Welcome to Episode 53 of No Rain Date, your weekly local news podcast featuring exclusive interviews with people making a difference in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

On this week’s episode we’re pleased to welcome Kathleen Ward, Conservation Coordinator, and Kelly Federico, Gifts & Development Manager for the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. Comprising the Lehigh Valley and two other regions, the 165-mile corridor preserves the legacy of the canal route that existed between Wilkes-Barre and Bristol in the mid-19th century. Built to move anthracite coal from the Poconos to the commercial centers of the East Coast, in its brief heyday the canal network helped ignite the Industrial Revolution in Pennsylvania. Our guests explain how the canals are today powering an economic revolution in the towns along them, where businesses are partnering with the D&L to meet the needs of a burgeoning ecotourism sector. We also learn about how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the corridor, and how its attractions are in the process of safely reopening. Our interview begins at 23:51. As always, Josh has a roundup of the latest headlines from the Saucon Valley and beyond.

No Rain Date is conveniently available for download on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Deezer, Tunein, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts and other apps, in addition to Saucon Source. To learn more about the podcast, suggest an interview subject or share feedback, please email

Love No Rain Date? You can help support it by making a voluntary contribution and becoming a Saucon Source member today. Learn more here. And don’t forget to sign up for our Saucon Source newsletter. Enjoy the convenience of having the latest news delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as peace of mind from knowing you’ll never miss another headline. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Welcome to Episode 52 of No Rain Date, your weekly local news podcast featuring exclusive interviews with people making a difference in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

On this week’s episode we welcome as our guest Doug Roysdon, Artistic Director at IceHouse Tonight in Bethlehem. Doug explains the evolution of this unique riverside venue, which began nearly 25 years ago, after it was rescued and restored by the city. Once a primitive cold storage facility, the historic Charles A. Brown Ice House became a home for children’s shows in its first incarnation as a performing arts and events center. In the mid 2010s, its live offerings expanded to include a dynamic array of local artists performing at night. The coronavirus pandemic inspired IceHouse Tonight to push its boundaries even further out, and its live shows online attracted new followers from the Lehigh Valley and beyond. In 2021, Doug explains, this beloved venue is returning to hosting live music, interactive workshops and more. As always, Josh has a roundup of all the latest headlines from Saucon Valley, the Southern Lehigh area and Fountain Hill.

No Rain Date is conveniently available for download on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Deezer, Tunein, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts and other apps, in addition to Saucon Source. To learn more about the podcast, suggest an interview subject or share feedback, please email

Love No Rain Date? You can help support it by making a voluntary contribution and becoming a Saucon Source member today. Learn more here. And don’t forget to sign up for our Saucon Source newsletter. Enjoy the convenience of having the latest news delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as peace of mind from knowing you’ll never miss another headline. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Welcome to Episode 51 of No Rain Date, your weekly local news podcast featuring exclusive interviews with people making a difference in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

This week’s episode–released early in celebration of our Earth Day–features a special guest who cares deeply about our local environment. Christopher Kocher is president of Wildlands Conservancy. Based in Emmaus, Wildlands has helped lead land preservation efforts in the Lehigh Valley since the early 1970s. Their mission extends far beyond simply protecting our beautiful open spaces and waterways, however, and Chris explains how you can help, too. He also reflects on how COVID-19 has actually benefited our environment by encouraging people to slow down and head outside to enjoy nature. As always, Josh has a roundup of the latest news headlines from the Saucon Valley area.

No Rain Date is conveniently available for download on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Deezer, Tunein, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts and other apps, in addition to Saucon Source. To learn more about the podcast, suggest an interview subject or share feedback, please email

Do you love No Rain Date? You can help support it by making a voluntary contribution and becoming a Saucon Source member today. Learn more here. And don’t forget to sign up for our Saucon Source newsletter. Enjoy the convenience of having the latest news delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as peace of mind from knowing you’ll never miss another headline. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Welcome to Episode 50 of No Rain Date, your weekly local news podcast featuring interviews with guests from the Lehigh Valley and beyond. This week–in celebration of our fiftieth episode–we decided to do something a little different by looking back at some of the interviews we’ve been privileged to host ever since the podcast made its debut in November 2019. Mixed in with highlights from these interviews is commentary by host Josh Popichak and producer Jonny Hart on the various subjects we’ve discussed as well as decisions that have guided the series’ production. We have organized our interview highlights and commentary according to topic–such as media–and we hope you’ll enjoy listening to our reflections as much as we have enjoyed sharing them. Finally, we’ll reveal some of the ideas we have for No Rain Date, down the road. As always Josh has a (slightly abbreviated) roundup of the latest local news headlines in the Saucon Valley area.

No Rain Date is conveniently available for download on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Deezer, Tunein, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts and other apps, in addition to Saucon Source. Each episode features local news and interviews with people making a difference in our community. To learn more about the podcast, suggest an interview subject or share feedback, please email