Arts & Culture

Martin Luther King Jr. Day has become a day of service each year, as people come together to take action and make their communities better. Here are volunteer opportunities and events taking place in the Lehigh Valley.

Celebrations are set to take place throughout the Lehigh Valley while volunteer efforts focus on forming an ongoing connection with the community.

Nkasso, a West African family-owned eatery, held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening on Friday at 44 N. 8th Street in Allentown. It offers bissap, a drink made out of the flowers of the Roselle plant (a variety of Hibiscus), along with other cultural staples.

This week, the LehighValleyNews.com digital desk handpicked three events for you to enjoy, including Easton Restaurant Week, the 'Of Portraiture & Polio' exhibition and Positively Picturesque.

The symphony is asking composers in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding area to submit works for string quartet or any combination of traditional string quartet instruments.

Sit-down dining and over-the-counter food on the menu for Easton Restaurant Week, starting Jan. 15.

Third generation Lehigh Valley resident Ashley Coleman will lead the Bradbury-Sullivan Center as it expands its programming over the next few years.

Comedian Gabriel Iglesias, best known for his Comedy Central channel specials “I’m Not Fat … I’m Fluffy,” will headline the main stage at Bethlehem's Musikfest festival in August, it was announced Monday.

Maren Morris, who has topped the country charts but may be best known for her dance music collaboration "In the Middle" with Grey and Zedd, will headline the main stage at Bethlehem's Musikfest festival in August, it was announced Monday.

Iron Menace made its first successful test run on Wednesday at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, making a slow ascent before the ride plummeted 95-degrees from 160 feet.

The three-hour festival highlights 12 short films by students from the university's film and television department.

More than a dozen musical acts and food and craft vendors will be spread across the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem for the festival featuring Jamaican vibes. It's set for Saturday, July 6.

Fraleigh will discuss her latest exhibition, "Threaded with moonlight," on Saturday, March 23.

The Lehigh Valley Book Festival's 5th iteration will take place over five days, starting Wednesday March 20.

Lehigh Valley native Daniel Roebuck has a part in the ABC show "9-1-1," whose new season began last week and continues Thursday.

More than 2,000 marchers joined Allentown's St. Patrick's Day parade Sunday, an annual tradition celebrating the region's Irish culture. “It’s a great way to bring the community together,” said one of the parade-goers.

Muses at the Ice House will be from 4-9 p.m. April 6 at Charles A. Brown Ice House, 56 River St., Bethlehem.

“Ireland’s famous export is its people, but obviously our culture. This time of year everybody wants to be Irish,” said Neville Gardner, owner of McCarthy's Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar in Bethlehem.

It's been a wonderfully warm week, so you might be hankering for some ice cream. Fortunately, these Lehigh Valley sweets shops have St. Patrick's Day themed frosty desserts that are perfect for this time of year.

A St. Patrick’s Day Ceremony/Irish Culture Celebration on Friday at Payrow Plaza in Bethlehem kicked off the St. Patrick's Day weekend in the Lehigh Valley.

The free Blues, Brews & Barbecue festival will be Saturday, June 22, along Allentown's Hamilton Street from Fifth to Ninth streets, and on North and South Seventh Street.