Arts & Culture

The crowd at Allentown Fair for Cheap Trick and Blue Oyster Cult was there to hear the hits of their youth and — for the most part — got what they wanted.

For the first time, Robbie Furman will showcase his work at the Allentown Fair.

The oppressive heat did not deter folks from making their way to the 172nd Great Allentown Fair at the Allentown Fairgrounds on Wednesday. Great food and drinks, amusement park rides and a variety of events will take place at the fair through Monday, Sept. 2.

Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour hits the grandstand stage at Allentown Fair at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. Tickets, at $30 each, remain available at the fair website.

Nearly 50 years later, Blue Öyster Cult still is performing, and this year even released "Ghost Stories," its first album of new material in four years and only second in 23 years. The group also will open for fellow 1970s rockers Cheap Trick as the grandstand feature for opening night at Allentown Fair at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28.

The wartime lost portrait by German artist Lucas Cranach the Elder, entitled "Portrait of George the Bearded, Duke of Saxony," has hung at the Allentown Art Museum since 1961.

Bethlehem's SouthSide Arts District has joined with the city and Wawa stores to create what it calls a "Gateway sign" — "a vibrant public art piece that enhances the entrance between Route 412 and SouthSide downtown."

The 2024 Great Allentown Fair runs Wednesday, Aug. 28 through Monday, Sept. 2. We've got a rundown on what you can expect, from the grandstand headliners to the Iron Chef competition and more.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo is hosting its annual Brew at the Zoo again in 2024. This year, it falls on Saturday, Sept. 14, and will feature more than three dozen craft beers and ciders.

Jayna Elise, who auditioned on "Idol" in both Season 21 in 2023 and Season 22 the past spring, recently was chosen for the role of Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which performs at Easton's State Theatre on Oct. 1-2.

Faculty members from Moravian's office of equity and inclusion are discussing how Black filmmakers are changing history and the role women played in the civil rights movement.

Members of the city's Dominican community gathered to raise the Dominican flag over Allentown City Hall on Sunday. The city counts roughly 20,000 Dominicans as residents — nearly one out of every six people.

February 24 is now Clyde Bosket Day in the City of Allentown and Lehigh County.

The 1780 register was last seen by historians more than 160 years ago, and was thought to have been lost. Here's what we can learn from it.

Rachael and Luke Prosseda are siblings that took over the Vineyard di Norma last year, giving it a second life in the Lehigh Valley.

The restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion has won an award for ambiance and special occasions in the Lehigh Valley.

With a recent album, "Anthem," and a new EP, "When the Anarchy's Been Restored," set to be released, Flogging Molly will play Wind Creek Event Center on Saturday, Feb. 25.

The Black History Month celebration at Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown will feature music, an awards ceremony, a fashion show and free samples of African and Caribbean eats.

Fountain Hill, East Penn, Northampton and other restaurant weeks look to bring together various local restaurants and attract people to locally owned and operated businesses

Richard Thompson, who as a teenager played and sang with Fairport Convention — perhaps behind only Bob Dylan as seminal to the folk-rock genre — will perform at 8 p.m. May 17.

Lehigh University Professor Scott Gordon will give a presentation at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Sigal Museum in Easton. It will focus on a 1780 register of enslaved people in Northampton County.

Strut your stuff on the runway at the People’s Ball, a fashion exhibit and runway competition happening at the Banana Factory in May.