Arts & Culture

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.

ArtsQuest and Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center are collaborating to put on a new monthly film series called the Lehigh Valley LGBTQ+ Film Series.

This year’s Steel Stage lineup has its share of strong shows — and, as is the case every year, ones that aren’t quite as attractive, but still, no doubt, have fans who are interested.

ArtsQuest has a plan to keep people safe and hydrated as temperatures rise later this week. But once again, dodging storms on a couple of nights could be the weather headline of Musikfest 2024, says EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich.

Joe Russo's Almost Dead is led by Russo, who was drummer in the Grateful Dead splinter group Furthur with Dead guitarist Bob Weir and bassist Phil Lesh.

About 80% of the lights at SteelStacks’ blast furnaces are up and running again, restoring illumination to the landmark fixtures that have been dark for most of the summer.

There will be two “Twist & Shout” Musikfest Sunday Brunches in Hotel Bethlehem's Grand Ballroom — Aug. 4 and Aug. 11.

Wheatus, best known for its 2000 single “Teenage Dirtbag,” will perform at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22 in Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, it was announced.

The celebration of the Isla del Encanto in Allentown was organized by the Puertorrican Culture Preservation and held on Sunday, July 28.

Musikfest 2024 begins with a preview night on Thursday. The 11-day festival will feature more than 422 artists and more than 500 concerts. Headliners include Greta Van Fleet, ZZ Top, Ludacris and Jowell & Randy.

If all goes to plan, the nonprofit performing arts organization could be moving about three miles away to the former Light of Christ Lutheran Church at 2020 Worthington Ave. in Bethlehem

College Hill PorchFest, a celebration of music and community across the Easton neighborhood, will return in September, with applications for performers and porches being accepted until July 31.

The Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival will return to Allentown on Sunday, July 28. It kicks off at noon at North Fifth and Hamilton streets.

The Lehigh Valley will soon get its first Raising Cane's. The Louisiana-based fast food restaurant offers chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, Texas Toast and its signature "Cane's Sauce."