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.

The second annual Greenway Pride event in Bethlehem drew a warm crowd despite the damp weather. Attendees said the Lehigh Valley needs more events and places that cater to the region's LGBT community.

The Young Playwrights' Festival features scripts written by 13 elementary and middle school students from Bethlehem. The show will take place on Sunday at Northeast Middle School.

Mi Casa Restaurante in Easton serves traditional dishes from Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.

The Coopersburg Farmer Market will be open on Sundays starting June 2 through Oct. 27.

J&J Demolition Derby, a Labor Day mainstay at Allentown Fairgrounds, will return to the fair for its closing-night grandstand entertainment offering on Sept. 2.

Blippi, whose energetic and educational antics have made him a global sensation, will bring his live show Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour to the fair on Aug. 29.

As the Pennsylvania Youth Theatre seeks a new home, the students will put on a rendition of "Wizard of Oz" at Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University later this week.

Easton Public Market will celebrate its eighth anniversary on Friday, May 17, with a special party featuring vendors, the band A Few Good Men, and a fundraiser benefiting Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital.

The rise of streaming platforms and labor unrest in Hollywood has forced Roxy Theatre in Northampton to change its business model. It started airing first-run films for the first time on Friday.

Christopher Sipos remembers his late-grandmother's love of birds but was pleasantly surprised to find her collection of antique baking soda trading cards that feature the feathered beauties.

Rockers Orgy, with opening act Cold, will play at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 17, at Maingate Nightclub in Allentown. Tickets, at $25 in advance and $30 day of show, are available at maingatenightclub.com

Student groups fueled a good opening day for the park compared to typical rainy spring days