Arts & Culture

The Weight Band, featuring former The Band guitarist Jim Weider, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

Several theaters in the Lehigh Valley will offer discounted tickets on Sunday, Aug. 27. Close to 20 films will be shown throughout the region, including summer hits "Barbie," "Oppenheimer," and "Little Mermaid."

The Hooters, who combined ska and folk-rock on 1980s hits such as “Day By Day” and “And We Danced,” will perform at 8 p.m. at Univest Performance Center, 301 W. Mill St. Gates open at 6, and an opening act will go on at 6:30 p.m.

Starting Wednesday, gates at the Allentown Fairgrounds will close between Liberty and Chew Streets, the north and south borders of the grounds.

The Macungie family has other notable works around the Lehigh Valley and tri-state area, including the artwork for the most recent Musikfest.

While the Lehigh Valley IronPigs’ stadium again will have music emanating from its baseball diamond — and will look to do more — it doesn’t mean the park is likely to become a steady stop on the concert circuit, General Manager Kurt Landes said.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

At its 30th anniversary, the Lehigh Valley's Magic: The Gathering scene is going strong say local players and game store owners. Some events have seen a downturn in players following the pandemic and expansion of online play, while others have seen a strong resurgence of new and returning players.

Caputo brings her live show to the Wind Creek Event Center on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20

This weekend is the 43rd annual Roasting Ears of Corn Festival, hosted by the Museum of Indian Culture. The two-day event will feature performances, cultural heritage demonstrations, artifact displays and more.

Saves The Day, whose albums "Stay What You Are" in 2001 and "In Reverie" in 2003 were the prototype for emo-punk, will perform at Archer Music Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Sharing the bill will be Glassjaw and Soul Blind.

"Kinky Boots," whose six Tony wins came from 13 nominations, and which also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album, will be performed Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, the theater announced.

Trapt, with supporting acts Never Ready, William H. Taft and Honky Tonk Medics, will perform tonight at the Gin Mill & Grill,1750 Main St., Northampton. General admission standing tickets, at $20 each, can be found at Ticketweb.com.

Call it sludge, stoner metal, heavy rock, whatever. Melvins, one of the most influential acts in the game, came out to Musikfest Cafe on Thursday and played an incredible set exploring its vast and varied four decades.

"Iron Chef" winner Jose Garces has opened Okatshe, a Japanese-inspired izakaya on Hamilton Street, with an eight-foot sushi roll instead of a ribbon-cutting. Located across from Rosa Blanca, Okatshe offers small plates, sushi, sake,and whiskey in a modern take on Japan’s traditional neighborhood bar.

Former Phillies Steve Carlton and Ricky Bottalico were at a meet-and-greet event at Coca-Cola Park on Thursday. The event was sponsored by St. Luke's University Health Network, of which Carlton is a community ambassador.

The 2026 Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic, a PGA TOUR Champions event, will be held Sept. 28-Oct. 4 at Lehigh Country Club. The 54-hole tournament will feature a field of 78 PGA TOUR Champions players.

The festival spans two weekends of authentic German traditions, including stein holding competitions, bratwurst eating contests, live polka bands, schuhplattler dancers, dachshund races and new contests.

After three years of low attendance because of inclement weather, the 2025 Celtic Classic & U.S. Highland Games returned with crowds and a packed celebration of the Celtic regions: Ireland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Scotland, and Wales.

Comedian Michael Che, currently in his 11th season of "Saturday Night Live," will perform Dec. 10 at Easton's State Theatre, it was announced.

Gwynn spoke at Moravian University on Sept.30 about his 30-year wrongful imprisonment and death row exoneration, sharing his journey of faith, art and justice.

Blues star Kenny Wayne Shepherd will perform at Wind Creek Event Center on Friday, March 6, as part of a 30th anniversary tour for his 1995 chart-topping, platinum debut album "Ledbetter Heights."