Arts & Culture

Lehigh Valley's 'Spooktacular' Hot Air Balloon festival is on Friday through Sunday and there's a lot more going on than just balloons

This year, people seeking Halloween thrills have a real selection of places to go and things to see: Have a butterbeer, a ride in a spooky hot air balloon or scream your lungs out. Your choice.

LehighValleyNews.com newsroom has handpicked 3 Valley events for you to enjoy this weekend. This week we feature Autumn Splendor Fall Foliage Train Ride, Eerie Easton Walking Tours and a very Lit performance at Musikfest Cafe.

Alternative rock band Lit, which became famous in the '90s with their hit song "My Own Worst Enemy," will be playing at 7 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 16. at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

A Bethlehem Township family is going all out for their haunted garage, but other nearby community attractions will be dark this Halloween. One of them has spooked its last visitor.

Imagine the Bidens singing and celebrating this holiday season around a tree from the Evergreen Acres farm this Chrismas.

Moravian history and spooky anecdotes from the past are given a spotlight on this hour-and-a-half walk through Emmaus' past and present to usher in the Halloween season

The 10th annual Luncheon with the Authors, a fundraiser of Society of the Arts – the nonprofit organization supporting the Allentown Art Museum, was held Thursday at Lehigh Country Club in Lower Macungie Township.

Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites will host the Lehigh Valley Antique Treasure Show on Saturday at the Moravian Museum. Visitors can come watch the appraisal process or bring their own treasures for experts from area auction houses to evaluate.

Mi Casa Restaurante in Easton serves traditional dishes from Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.

The Coopersburg Farmer Market will be open on Sundays starting June 2 through Oct. 27.

J&J Demolition Derby, a Labor Day mainstay at Allentown Fairgrounds, will return to the fair for its closing-night grandstand entertainment offering on Sept. 2.

Blippi, whose energetic and educational antics have made him a global sensation, will bring his live show Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour to the fair on Aug. 29.

As the Pennsylvania Youth Theatre seeks a new home, the students will put on a rendition of "Wizard of Oz" at Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University later this week.

Easton Public Market will celebrate its eighth anniversary on Friday, May 17, with a special party featuring vendors, the band A Few Good Men, and a fundraiser benefiting Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital.

The rise of streaming platforms and labor unrest in Hollywood has forced Roxy Theatre in Northampton to change its business model. It started airing first-run films for the first time on Friday.

Christopher Sipos remembers his late-grandmother's love of birds but was pleasantly surprised to find her collection of antique baking soda trading cards that feature the feathered beauties.

Rockers Orgy, with opening act Cold, will play at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 17, at Maingate Nightclub in Allentown. Tickets, at $25 in advance and $30 day of show, are available at maingatenightclub.com

Student groups fueled a good opening day for the park compared to typical rainy spring days

Kutztown University's jazz ensemble was recognized by DownBeat magazine for Outstanding Performance in its Student Music Awards. It's the 10th win for Kutztown's commercial music program but the first for the jazz ensemble.

The annual Freddy Awards will take place at the State Theatre in Easton on May 23. Bangor Area High School's "Mean Girls: the High School Version," leads in nominations this year. Find a full list of the nominees here.