Arts & Culture

The crowd at Allentown Fair for Cheap Trick and Blue Oyster Cult was there to hear the hits of their youth and — for the most part — got what they wanted.

For the first time, Robbie Furman will showcase his work at the Allentown Fair.

The oppressive heat did not deter folks from making their way to the 172nd Great Allentown Fair at the Allentown Fairgrounds on Wednesday. Great food and drinks, amusement park rides and a variety of events will take place at the fair through Monday, Sept. 2.

Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour hits the grandstand stage at Allentown Fair at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. Tickets, at $30 each, remain available at the fair website.

Nearly 50 years later, Blue Öyster Cult still is performing, and this year even released "Ghost Stories," its first album of new material in four years and only second in 23 years. The group also will open for fellow 1970s rockers Cheap Trick as the grandstand feature for opening night at Allentown Fair at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28.

The wartime lost portrait by German artist Lucas Cranach the Elder, entitled "Portrait of George the Bearded, Duke of Saxony," has hung at the Allentown Art Museum since 1961.

Bethlehem's SouthSide Arts District has joined with the city and Wawa stores to create what it calls a "Gateway sign" — "a vibrant public art piece that enhances the entrance between Route 412 and SouthSide downtown."

The 2024 Great Allentown Fair runs Wednesday, Aug. 28 through Monday, Sept. 2. We've got a rundown on what you can expect, from the grandstand headliners to the Iron Chef competition and more.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo is hosting its annual Brew at the Zoo again in 2024. This year, it falls on Saturday, Sept. 14, and will feature more than three dozen craft beers and ciders.

Jayna Elise, who auditioned on "Idol" in both Season 21 in 2023 and Season 22 the past spring, recently was chosen for the role of Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which performs at Easton's State Theatre on Oct. 1-2.

Allentown school directors approved the $1.14 million partnership Thursday. The agreement runs from next month to June 30, 2028.

Ending months of BYOB, which patrons have come to like, the former Nonna Sulina's has moved to Fountain Hill under a new name and can finally announce full-service status.

After an "unimaginably" successful first year, IronPigs President Kurt Landes announced the Illumination experience will return to Coca-Cola Park for the upcoming holiday season. Tickets are on sale now.

Beatles tribute act Rain performing a Christmas tribute at 8 p.m. Dec. 5.

It's spooky season in July at the third annual Greenway Pride festival held from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Juily 26, in South Bethlehem.

Country music hitmaker Riley Green has no tickets left for his Aug. 1 Steel Stage concert, Musikfest presenters ArtsQuest said on its Facebook page.

Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom is bringing another Philadelphia Eagle to the area for a charitable event.

A community-driven plan to address upgrades to the city’s park network over the next decade is nearing the end of its public input phase.

Alejandro Escovedo, a member of the musical family that has made stars of his brothers — percussionist Coke Escovedo, who played with Santana, and Pete Escovedo, father of Sheila E. — will play Tuesday, Sept. 9 in The Archer's Arrow Room.

The city and Lehigh Valley partners want you and the whole family to check out the free World Heritage Community Celebration from noon to 7 p.m. Sept. 6.

The Bethlehem Rose Garden, at West Union Boulevard and Eighth Avenue, recently was approved for the funding through the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

Scott Gordon is a professor of English and a scholar of the Colonial and post-Colonial history of the Lehigh Valley. He recently spoke with WLVR’s Brad Klein about the role the Moravians played in the American Revolution.