Arts & Culture

Actor, musician and children’s author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children’s show “Sesame Street,” Bob McGrath, has died at the age of 90. McGrath’s passing was confirmed by his family who posted on his Facebook page on Sunday. Sesame Workshop tweeted Sunday evening that it “mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over 50 years.” McGrath was a founding cast member of “Sesame Street” when the show premiered in 1969. He is survived by his wife, Ann Logan Sperry, and their five children.

Lehigh Valley Music Awards, once popular but on hiatus for three years, said it's looking to return, perhaps under ArtsQuest. But as it does, the upstart ABE Music Awards wants to take its place.

Lehigh Valley SoccerFest continues at the SteelStacks campus, while the City of Allentown partners with St. Luke's University Health Network to host World Cup watch parties.

Maltas Con Leche, an Allentown-based art collective, designed the Musikfest 2023 poster as a family unit. I will be unveiled at the Banana Factory’s First Friday event on Dec. 2.

Renderings of the HangDog ropes course coming to the Easton area in 2023. (Courtesy Mike McCreary/renderings by Sage Design-Build Inc.)

Country music superstar Keith Urban has played The Great Allentown Fair twice in his storied career. He'll return next September and is the first headliner announced.

This week, the LehighValleyNews.com digital desk handpicked three events for you to enjoy, including Candy Cane Lane, Kids Jam and a Lovefeast.

The Christmas experience features immersive theatrical performances and special treats on Main Street, Bethlehem this December.

The Christmas City is holding a community breakfast in early December.

The channel, famous for its feel-good Christmas movies, has started streaming a live feed of historic Downtown Bethlehem on its website.

Zoostock, a one-day music festival that draws inspiration from the famed Woodstock music festival, is set for 5-9 p.m. Saturday, July 26, at Lehigh Valley Zoo.

Lehigh Little League 9-10-year-olds open state tournament play at 4 p.m. Monday against Section 1 champion DuBois in Drums, Luzerne County.

At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 19, Copeland will headline ArtsQuest's Blast Furnace Blues Festival, performing on the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks stage. The concert and festival are free.

The colorful mural on the side of the building at 313 Broadway, across from Ideal Food Basket, is a reminder to eat nutritiously.

Juggling family, business and a new yoga career, Coopersburg's Roey Ebert gets creative with her usual grace

The cultural celebration will run every Saturday and Sunday from July 19 through Aug.17, 2025.

The action ramps up Friday with Market to Go, open from 3-7 p.m., with offerings of blueberry crumb pie, coffee cake, strudel, sugar cookies and blueberry swirl ice cream. The event continues Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.

The blues music festival features two days of free music with Grammy Award nominees and Blues Music Award winners, including Shemekia Copeland and Dylan Triplett. It occurs on Friday and Saturday at the SteelStacks campus.

Straight No Chaser, the popular a cappella group whose membership includes two Lehigh Valley natives and had a viral hit with its internet video of “Twelve Days of Christmas” mashed with Toto’s “Africa,” will perform two holiday shows, at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 7, as part of the newly announced season.

Set It Off, the Tampa, Florida, band whose song "Fake Ass Friends" hit No. 15 on Billboard's Hard Rock chart last year, will perform at the venue on Dec. 6, it was announced.

“Tony n Tina’s Wedding,” which had popular runs at Musikfest Café at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem from 2012-17, will perform one night only Aug. 22 at Bear Creek Mountain Resort.

The Bacon Brothers, which features acclaimed actor Kevin Bacon with his brother Michael, will kick off the new season Sept. 7. And Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience will follow Sept. 12, with the Academy Award-winner on stage, narrating a cinematic journey through the heart of the Mississippi Delta, where the Blues was born.