Arts & Culture

About 900 feet above sea level, the nearly 100-foot-high beacon atop South Mountain sports 238 brand-new LEDs and a jump in wattage from 5.5 to 7 per lamp, according to Bethlehem Electrical Bureau Chief Greg Cryder.

Celebrate the start of summer with traditional folk dance and son jarocho music at the Charles A. Brown Ice House on Saturday, June 21.

ArtsQuest's new Movie Trivia Mayhem, a tournament-style movie trivia showdown, is set for 7 p.m. Aug. 16 at Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas in ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

The Smashing Pumpkins founder and frontman Billy Corgan played a two-hour, 22-song set with his new band The Machines of God before a near-sellout crowd of perhaps 1,500 at Allentown's Archer Music Hall.

A cappella group Straight No Chaser, best known for its viral internet video of “Twelve Days of Christmas” mashed with Toto’s “Africa,” will perform at the theater Dec. 7. And Wizards of Winter, the popular rock-music-holiday show, will return at 3 p.m. Dec. 21.

The five-story cultural hub, which will replace the Banana Factory, will house a recording studio, a 125-seat theater, STEAM classes, a glass studio and programming in English and Spanish.

Crumb has started a short tour that brings it later this week to Allentown's Archer Music Hall. Tickets, at $41.80 for general admission standing, with pop band Kassie Krut as opening, remain available for the Thursday show.

The fair said Monday that Ace Frehley, former guitarist for KISS, and 1980s hard rockers Quiet Riot and Great White will perform at 7 p.m. Aug. 30.

"Rooted: A Story of Artists Embracing Place" debuted on Sunday at Zoellner Arts Center. It is produced by Doug Roysdon, Dave Fry, Bill George, and Bridget George. The riveting film features interviews with Bethlehem's community leaders, directors, and arts advocates.

Night at the Drive-In: On Tuesday, June 17, Shankweiler's will host Brad Klein and Marty McGuire for Watching the Skies' first live event. And they will screen (also for the first time) a presentation by Bethlehem’s "Backyard Astronomer" about his favorite planet, Mars.

The concert will feature music from local composers and presented by a string quartet.

The two-day, family-friendly festival features lectures from authors, children's story-hours, a jazz brunch and movie night.

ArtsQuest, in partnership with the Lehigh Valley Brewer’s Guild, has announced its first annual Spring Beer Fest on April 15 at the SteelStacks campus.

The Freedom High alum and Franklin and Marshall College grad will appear on Season 20 of the dating reality show.

The George Taylor House will be featured on an upcoming episode of "Ghost Hunters." Volunteers say paranormal events have become common at the Revolutionary War era property.

One Earth ReggaeFest will offer a dozen reggae and related musical acts on two outdoor stages over 12 hours on July 12 on the SteelStacks campus. The hours will be noon to midnight.

The Allentown Symphony Orchestra is gearing up to present "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" in a concert with a screening of the complete film.

Mayfair Festival of the Arts, the Allentown Memorial Day weekend festival that for the past five years has been held at Cedar Crest College, will return May 26-28, the festival announced Tuesday.

The AAA baseball team is seeking all sorts of talents, from signers to actors or anything else prospective entertainers would like to audition with and pitch.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Bethlehem held what is almost certainly its last Mass, with the historic building slated for sale.

The festival, in its second year, took place at ArtsQuest.

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