Arts & Culture

The Allentown Film Festival is now in its second year and will feature short films and Q&A sessions with filmmakers.

The event's theme this year is "All Jazzed Up," and students shared what they're excited — or jazzed up — about in their own lives.

Actor/comedian Patrick Roach, who plays the character Randy on “Trailer Park Boys,” will bring Randy's Cheeseburger Picnic to Maingate Nightclub on Saturday, June 1.

Violinist Diane Monroe and New Jersey-based dance group Nimbus are among the scheduled performers set for April at Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University.

Megan Campbell and her son Finley have just released their first storybook, "Home is Where the Heart is," which features some of the young man's favorite spots in Easton.

Blues Traveler, which also in the 1990s had five gold and platinum albums and whose 1990 hit "Run-Around" spent 49 weeks on the Top 100, will perform Aug. 24. Also on the show will be Big Head Todd and The Monsters, who had the Top 15 hits “Bittersweet,” “Broken Hearted Savior” and “Resignation Superman.”

A $900,000 grant to ArtsQuest and the City of Bethlehem will improve pedestrian infrastructure around the nonprofit's Banana Factory complex on Third Street.

A new event, Steel City Smokeout, will be held Saturday, July 20, on PNC Plaza on the SteelStacks campus in conjunction with Bethlehem restaurant Nick’s BBQ.

Moravian University students wrote and directed the productions as part of their Master of Fine Arts thesis projects. Their performances at Touchstone Theatre — spread out through April and starting this week — will explore disability, self-worth and creativity.

Heavyweight developer City Center plans to open its new music venue, The Archer, in the 900 block of Hamilton Street in Allentown later this fall. Construction is underway.

1980s hitmakers Styx and REO Speedwagon performed a co-headlining show Wednesday at the opening night of the Allentown Fair grandstand.

The 171st Allentown Fair held opening ceremonies on Wednesday. The fair, which will run through Monday, Sept. 4, is expected to attract some 200,000 visitors over all six days.

Attendees can sample 12 different types of sangria and test their cornhole skills at the 21-and-over event on Saturday. Tickets start at $44.

The Allentown Fair kicks off its 171st year on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Allentown Fairgrounds. The fair, which will include entertainment, rides, food, refreshments, exhibits and more, runs through Monday, Sept. 4 at 9 p.m.

The Allentown Fair is promoting 15 new food options at various vendors throughout the event that will be up for a vote by fair attendees.

The Labor Day weekend is around the corner. LehighValleyNews.com gathered a list of activities you can participate in during the holiday.

The annual festival is a way to share Dominican culture, food and music, and to celebrate Allentown's large and growing Dominican community.

Backed by a four-man band and a back-up singer, Sheena Easton performed 15 songs in precisely 90 minutes at Mount Airy Casino Resort on Saturday.

The summer spectacle returns with headlining concerts, amusement rides, livestock shows and free family fun.

Over 1,400 classic cars gathered in Macungie Park, and organizers estimate about 11,000 people came out to see them and reminisce.

The Hooters performed to a nearly sold-out crowd Friday at Univest Performance Center in Quakertown.

Free Latin dance lessons, held by Ely Dance Studio, turn Allentown's ArtsWalk Pocket Park into a Meringue and Salsa party for an hour each Tuesday.