Arts & Culture

Take a look at stories throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

The 241-year-old structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places will be completely renovated. It will become a hands-on interpretation and demonstration space for visitors to learn about colonial industrial trades and crafts.

Blast Furnace Blues Festival will celebrate its 10th year when it returns to ArtsQuest’s SteelStacks campus July 21-23, it was announced Friday.

Salsa bands and Latin Rock will take over for the festival that celebrates Hispanic culture June 23 - 25 at SteelStacks.

The “Traitors” and “Schmigadoon!” star performs at ArtsQuest on Thursday, April 20.

The festival features free outdoor concerts on Fridays and a special presentation of Bach's Mass in B Minor on Saturdays.

Joshua Rifkin will be in residence at Lafayette College for the 2023-24 academic year to help mark the 40th anniversary of Williams Center for the Arts.

The brand-new Strawberry Festival joins The Peach Festival and Harvest Festival that began last year, and includes a ribbon cutting for the historical barn as an events center.

'Steelwalker’ archive tours, led by former steelworkers, are back for the season.

ArtsQuest hosted this year's first Cars and Coffee car show Sunday, drawing thousands of automobile enthusiasts from across the region to see everything from new Lamborghinis and Ferraris to a vintage tractor.

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

Kutztown University's jazz ensemble was recognized by DownBeat magazine for Outstanding Performance in its Student Music Awards. It's the 10th win for Kutztown's commercial music program but the first for the jazz ensemble.

The annual Freddy Awards will take place at the State Theatre in Easton on May 23. Bangor Area High School's "Mean Girls: the High School Version," leads in nominations this year. Find a full list of the nominees here.

Tickets for both shows will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, May 10, at ArtsQuest Center, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, or at www.SteelStacks.org.