Arts & Culture

Juneteenth Lehigh Valley will be celebrated with a week of festivities in 2023.

As Lehigh Valley residents treated themselves at the Easton Farmers Market Strawberry Day on Saturday, they also reached into their pockets to help less fortunate neighbors displaced by a Memorial Day row homes fire in Easton.

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

Sugaray Rayford, who in 2020 won the Blues Music Awards for B.B King Entertainer of the Year and Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year, will perform at the festival, which will be held noon-10 p.m. June 24 along Hamilton Street.

Over a 19-song, hour-and-40-minute show, Live’s performance in the summer's first paid-ticket show at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks ranged from acceptably perfunctory to positively stunning, but not with the consistency the band had with its former members.

The 21st Century program is to help students with academic support and art and music enrichment.

The Lehigh Valley schools announced the change last week — a switch made to accommodate the bicentennial celebration of Lafayette College in 2025-26.

Easton held its inaugural LGBTQ+ Pride Month flag-raising in Centre Square on Wednesday evening, celebrating the community and advocating for acceptance and love among more than 100 people.

The middle schoolers took the photos at a three-week class at the Easton Area Community Center.

The "You Point, We Pick" program will be back at Burnside Garden, 1461 Schoenersville Road, starting Saturday, June 3.

The annual festival is back for its 12th year featuring beer, food, music, and wiener dogs.

Rosanna’s Restaurant, which temporarily closed in February, is expected to reopen in the winter as a modern deli and bar, Rosa's Corner, at 2 E. Broad St. in Bethlehem.

The event will include German food, crafts, music and activities such as wiener dog races, a barrel-rolling competition and the Pennsylvania State Steinholding Championship. Four biergartens will offer beer including Yuengling, Hofbräu, Samuel Adams, Dogfish Head, Victory and more.

Music, desserts, clothes and, of course, garlic make way at the Easton Garlic Fest

Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, is hosting an event at the Allentown Fairgrounds with Christian rock band Newsboys and artist Marcos Witt.

Two new Wayback Burgers locations are coming soon to Bethlehem and Lower Macungie Township.

The 35th annual Celtic Classic brought those celebrating the heritage of the British Isles to Bethlehem, many traveling from other states and even countries to see and take part.

A story time event for children drew mixed reactions with some saying it promoted inclusion while others said it was inappropriate.

Allentown will host a walking Halloween parade this year. The event has not been cancelled. However, cars and floats will not be part of this year's event.

Hurricane Fiona hammered Puerto Rico with up to 15 inches of rain and knocked out power across the island.

Ms. Velvet’s Café, a walk-up eatery serving breakfast and lunch, held a grand opening Sept. 20 at 239 N. Fourth St. in downtown Allentown. The business is named in memory of owner Carlos Marrero's late sister, Ruby Marrero, who died as a result of a hit-and-run accident a few blocks away from the eatery in 2017.

Husband and wife Juan and Melanie Martinez, will open their 6th eatery, Miss Jackson’s Kitchen, at 201 McCartney St. in Easton. on the ground floor of Lafayette College’s McCartney Residences.