Journalist and Anchor, WFMZ-TV
Journalist Will Lewis had worked in various markets across the country when he was offered a position with Lehigh Valley television station WFMZ in 2010. The Pacific Northwest native had never even heard of Lehigh Valley when he accepted the job.
“I first got to the area around 11:30 at night, and I’m driving down Main Street in Bethlehem thinking, ‘Am I really going to be able to do two years here?’ Here we are all these years later, and I don’t see myself going anywhere,” he said.
As someone who has known the nomadic lifestyle of a journalist, Will appreciates how rare and special it is to work in a place that you love for such a long time.
As he sees it, he is not only reporting about the community, he is part of the community.
“There’s so much to do in Lehigh Valley and so many stories to tell of the people who live here, the businesses they’ve built, and the great things that are happening all over this region,” he said. “I like the fact that I can report these stories for WFMZ, and I can use that platform to help promote this community.”
Will’s connections with Lehigh Valley extend well beyond his weekday reporting assignments and weekend anchor duties. He volunteers with the American Heart Association, participated in Lehigh Valley’s “Real Men Wear Pink” campaign for the American Cancer Society, and showed off his talents in the “Dancing with the Lehigh Valley Stars” event benefitting the FREDDY© Awards program recognizing the region’s high school theater talent.
His real passion, however, is addressing food insecurity by ensuring that every community across Lehigh Valley has reliable access to grocery stores and a sufficient supply of healthy foods. Will is also active with the Kellyn Foundation, a local nonprofit that encourages healthy lifestyles and positive outcomes by focusing on family and community physical and emotional wellness.
“Food is big for me,” he explained. “I love going to all the great restaurants across Lehigh Valley and I do a restaurant segment every other week for WFMZ.”
Advice to newcomers: Explore all the region has to offer
Will’s advice to new Lehigh Valley residents is to explore fully all that the region offers.
“If you are living in Allentown or living in Bethlehem, don’t just stay there, go everywhere else,” he said. “There are days that I just get in my car and drive. There are a lot of great things happening all over this region in the cities and in the smaller towns like Nazareth, Bath, Wescosville… and all the people you will meet who contribute to what makes Lehigh Valley so great.
“Just go wherever you want to go, but don’t just stay in one place. Immerse yourself in the full Valley.”
Live Like a Local
Favorite festival: MusikFest is number one, but Harvest Fest will always have a place in my heart because it was the first festival I participated in after I arrived here.
Favorite type of food: Honestly, the greatest thing is that I get to sample everything. The food scene here is great. What’s growing now is different kinds of ethnic cuisine. Everybody is coming up with different fusions and I’m a fan of all of it.
Favorite restaurants: There are so many. I don’t want to leave any out. There’s a great Indian place in Easton called Aman’s that is right up there with any you’d find in New York. Bethlehem has a little taco place called Aqui Es that was named third best taco spot in the country. And Zest — who would have thought that we would have a restaurant on the sixth floor of a building overlooking all of Bethlehem? There was nothing like that when I arrived in Lehigh Valley, and now we’ve got that.
Favorite outdoor activity: I’m from Seattle, where we love the outdoors. My favorite activity is running, which I picked up after I moved here. The trail system in Lehigh Valley is amazing. I love running on the D&L Trail.