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.

Crews checked off another milestone on Tuesday when they finished connecting the tilted loop on Dorney Park's new Iron Menace roller coaster. The loop is the first of its kind on a dive coaster.

Big Time Rush will perform at 7 p.m. Aug. 9, the festival announced.

Shinedown, best known for its 2000s songs "Second Chance," "Sound of Madness" and "If You Only Knew," will headline Musikfest's Steel Stage on Aug. 3, it was announced.

Sublime with Rome, the version of the ska band Sublime that reformed with new lead Rome Ramirez in 2009, on Friday night posted a list of locations for its "Farewell Tour," including Bethlehem, Pa.

The Civic Theatre in Allentown has joined the National Register of Historic Places, along with a long corridor in Bath.

Jay Losagio will soon bring a specialized donut shop to Hellertown called 'Aloha Jay's.' It will serve up traditional and fruit-filled malasadas, which are confections beloved across the Hawaiian islands.

The Clap will play an album-release show at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at The Gas House Dance Hall, 311 Front St., Catasauqua, with supporting acts The Lunch Trucks, Pol Pot, Edgar Gore and The Nevermore's and Rotting Fruit. Tickets, at $10, will be available at the door.

The annual festival features live music, horse carriage rides, ice sculpting, discounts on shopping and scenic train excursions.

Spring Beer Fest, which had a sold-out debut last year on the SteelStacks campus, will again serve up the suds for a second year March 30, ArtsQuest announced.

John Legend, best known for his 14-times platinum No. 1 hit “All of Me” from 2013, will perform “A Night of Songs and Stories” at 8 p.m. June 22 at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem.

The circus is coming to town for three days in November.

It's Valentine's Day again, but if you're on your own, or you just don't buy into the lovey-dovey stuff, don't worry — these Lehigh Valley businesses have got your back.