📆 BETHELEHEM AREA EVENTS

🌡️BETHELEHEM AREA WEATHER

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✨🐞LIGHTING UP OUR SUMMER NIGHTS: New York Launches Firefly Study to Protect These Magical Insects! 🌙💛

🦅🏆 FAREWELL TO AN EAGLES LEADER… AND A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS! 🏈⚽🏀

🌅☀️ SAY IT ISN'T SO! OUR 8:00 PM SUNSETS ARE SAYING GOODBYE! 😭🌇

🧩☕ WEDNESDAY MORNING MATH PUZZLER SOLVED! ☕🧩

Introducing the Bethlehem Area Live Community Calendar

AUGUST 12th - Wednesday

AUGUST 13th - Thursday

More Events at: https://BethlehemAreaLive.com

There's something magical about seeing fireflies twinkling across a summer evening—and now New York is taking steps to make sure future generations can enjoy that same experience.

Researchers are spending this summer surveying New York State Parks as part of the "Dark Skies for Fireflies" project to learn how many firefly species call New York home and identify which ones may be vulnerable or at risk.

🪲 Why does it matter?

Experts estimate that one in every three North American firefly species is at risk of extinction, largely due to:
🌳 Habitat loss
💡 Light pollution
🍂 Removal of leaf litter where larvae develop
🏡 Changes to natural landscapes

Researchers are documenting the unique flash patterns used by different species and gathering information that could help improve conservation efforts in state parks across New York.

✅ Leave some leaves and natural habitat in your yard.
✅ Reduce unnecessary outdoor lighting during summer evenings.
✅ Protect native plants and pollinator-friendly spaces.
✅ Enjoy these incredible insects without disturbing their habitat.

With beautiful natural areas like Five Rivers Environmental Education Center, local parks, forests, and backyard gardens, Bethlehem residents can all play a role in helping these iconic summer insects thrive.

✨ Sometimes the smallest creatures remind us just how important it is to care for the world around us.

READ MORE: TIMES UNION

📸 Have you spotted fireflies in your yard this summer? We'd love to hear where you've been seeing them! 🐞🌙👇

#BethlehemLocalNews #BethlehemNY #Fireflies #DarkSkies #Conservation #Nature #ProtectPollinators #FiveRivers #NewYorkStateParks #SummerNights #CommunityNews #CapitalRegion #Wildlife #LoveWhereYouLive 🌿✨

A familiar face in Bethlehem athletics is beginning a new journey.

After serving as Bethlehem Central School District's Athletic Director since 2014, Len Kies has officially taken over as the Athletic Director at Guilderland Central School District, marking another chapter in a distinguished career in Section 2 athletics.

During his time in Bethlehem, Kies helped oversee one of the Capital Region's premier athletic programs, supporting countless student-athletes, coaches, and championship teams while promoting sportsmanship, leadership, and academic success. Earlier this year, his contributions were recognized when he was named Section 2 Athletic Director of the Year for 2026.

🏆 His departure also sparked a series of leadership changes across local school districts:

🦅 Bethlehem welcomed Andrew Santandera, who officially became Athletic Director on July 1 after serving in athletic administration at Siena University.

🔴⚪ Guilderland has now welcomed Len Kies to lead its athletic program.

⚾ Maple Hill gained former Guilderland Athletic Director Dave Austin, who returned to his alma mater to lead its athletics program.

For Bethlehem families, this marks the beginning of a new era for Eagle athletics while celebrating the lasting impact Kies had on the district over more than a decade.

👏 Congratulations to Len Kies on his new position, and best wishes to Andrew Santandera as he leads Bethlehem Athletics into its next chapter!

#BethlehemLocalNews #BethlehemNY #BCEagles #Section2Sports #HighSchoolSports #StudentAthletes #AthleticDirector #CapitalRegionSports #Guilderland #BethlehemCentral #GoEagles 🦅🏆

Bethlehem Area summer lovers, here's one of those little calendar milestones we never really want to arrive...

🌞 We're reaching the end of our post-8:00 PM sunsets for 2026!

Those wonderfully long summer evenings filled with backyard dinners 🍔, walks on the Rail Trail 🚲, trips for ice cream 🍦, baseball games ⚾, evenings at the park 🌳 and simply sitting outside enjoying the daylight are beginning to get noticeably shorter.

From here, sunset will continue creeping earlier and earlier as we make our way toward fall. 🍂

It happens every year, of course—but somehow seeing 8:00 PM disappear from the sunset forecast makes the approaching end of summer feel a little more real. 😢

The good news?

☀️ There's still plenty of summer left!
🍦 Plenty of ice cream to eat.
🎶 Plenty of outdoor concerts to enjoy.
🚲 Plenty of evening Rail Trail rides.
🔥 Plenty of backyard nights.
🌅 And plenty of beautiful Capital Region sunsets ahead.

So for tonight, and tomorrow night, maybe take an extra few minutes to head outside and appreciate one of those long August evenings while we've still got them. ❤️

👇 SUMMER OR FALL — which season are YOU rooting for right now? ☀️🍂

#BethlehemLocalNews #BethlehemNY #Summer2026 #SummerNights #Sunset #CapitalRegion #DelmarNY #SlingerlandsNY #GlenmontNY #SelkirkNY #RCS #Voorheesville #UpstateNY #LoveWhereYouLive 🌅☀️❤️

Today's problem is:

7 + 1 × 5 − 6 ÷ 2

This is a great example of why the order of operations matters. Remember PEMDAS:

P — Parentheses
E — Exponents
M/D — Multiplication & Division, left to right
A/S — Addition & Subtraction, left to right

1 × 5 = 5

6 ÷ 2 = 3

So our problem becomes:

7 + 5 − 3

7 + 5 = 12

Then:

12 − 3 = 9

A common mistake is simply working straight across from the beginning:

7 + 1 = 8 ❌

But multiplication and division must be completed before addition and subtraction.

So:

7 + 1 × 5 − 6 ÷ 2
➡️ 7 + 5 − 3
➡️ 12 − 3
➡️ 9 🎉

💬 Did you get 9 before checking the solution? Drop your answer in the comments and challenge a friend! 👇🧠

#WednesdayMathPuzzler #MathPuzzler #BethlehemLocalNews #BethlehemNY #BrainTeaser #PEMDAS #MathChallenge #WednesdayFun 🧠➗✖️➕

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