Arts & Culture

A basketball hoop, lines and benches have been restored at the Wood Street Playground in Whitehall Township after a PennDOT plan to expand Route 22 was put on hold.

The Wheels of Time August Rod Run and Jamboree is returning to Macungie Memorial Park this weekend. The event brings thousands to view over 1,500 classic street rods and custom cars on August 25-27.

Dr. Lee Riley treats cancers at St. Luke’s University Health Network, but in his free time, he sculpts. He is the recipient of ArtsQuest’s Linny Award for Visual Artist of the Year.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs will host the Bacon and Brews Festival at Coca-Cola Park on Sept. 30. There will be brewers, ciders, distilleries, wineries and bacon items from IronPigs Concessions and select food vendors.

The Weight Band, featuring former The Band guitarist Jim Weider, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

Several theaters in the Lehigh Valley will offer discounted tickets on Sunday, Aug. 27. Close to 20 films will be shown throughout the region, including summer hits "Barbie," "Oppenheimer," and "Little Mermaid."

The Hooters, who combined ska and folk-rock on 1980s hits such as “Day By Day” and “And We Danced,” will perform at 8 p.m. at Univest Performance Center, 301 W. Mill St. Gates open at 6, and an opening act will go on at 6:30 p.m.

Starting Wednesday, gates at the Allentown Fairgrounds will close between Liberty and Chew Streets, the north and south borders of the grounds.

The Macungie family has other notable works around the Lehigh Valley and tri-state area, including the artwork for the most recent Musikfest.

While the Lehigh Valley IronPigs’ stadium again will have music emanating from its baseball diamond — and will look to do more — it doesn’t mean the park is likely to become a steady stop on the concert circuit, General Manager Kurt Landes said.

It’ll be a scenic route for walkers, joggers and runners through Historic Bethlehem and its renowned Moravian Church Settlements — Bethlehem's World Heritage site. And even a bit of fun for furry friends and their owners.

St. Nick is making more than a dozen stops across the region this season, joining communities for a season of cheer. Many events are also collecting food and unwrapped toys to support local families in need.

HomeToGo has ranked Bethlehem No. 1 in price, with a low median nightly rate of $55.39 per person, and No. 17 in overall travel demand, for festive U.S. holiday destinations.

Two Feet, which topped the Alternative chart, will perform Sunday, April 13. And Dayseeker, which this year had the Top 10 rock hits "Crawl Back to My Coffin" and "Bloodlust," will perform Tuesday, May 6.

Daniel Weiss led Lafayette College from 2005 to 2013 and is credited with growing the campus beyond College Hill. He was unanimously approved Friday as director and CEO of the Philadelphia Art Museum.

Hilary Unger, owner of Perianth Interior Design, was chosen Designer of the Year for 2025 by the Interior Design Society in the category of Living Spaces Over $100,000.

Doogie Horner, who had a successful run on "America's Got Talent," then wrote successful books, will perform Saturday, Dec. 6, at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem. Horner will headline the fourth annual Winter WonderJam, presented by the "Your Next Favorite Band" podcast.

Comedians Daniel Tosh, Bill Engvall and Jim Breuer all have dates next year for shows at Wind Creek Event Center. Tickets for all three go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 21, at the event center website, or at the box office at 77 Wind Creek Blvd., Bethlehem.

Wednesday’s art show reception also doubled as a ribbon-cutting for the new NeighborMade Community Art Gallery & Workshop, housed inside the center at 1335 West Linden St.

Central Elementary STREAM Academy students premiered a teaser of “Passport to Puerto Rico” at the Univest Public Media Center, celebrating Puerto Rican culture with food, Bomba music and dance. The student-made film debuts on PBS39 Dec. 13.

Trevor Noah, who in 2015 succeeded Jon Stewart as anchor of Comedy Central's “The Daily Show” and continued until 2022, will perform Saturday, Feb. 14, at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem.

Let Freedom Sing, to be held at 7 p.m. May 27 at Allentown’s Coca-Cola Park, seeks to unite more than 5,000 voices from across the region for “a choral experience to the community, uniting in celebration.”