Arts & Culture

Lehigh Valley indie-rockers Slingshot Dakota are kicking off Musikfest at the Air Products Americaplatz at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks stage at 5 p.m. Thursday, bringing their unique and creatively energetic punk rock sans guitar.

Welcome to LehighValleyNews.com's Fest in Show, a daily offering of some of the can't-miss acts on the stages of Musikfest.

Musikfest, a 10-day festival of music, food, refreshments and more, celebrates its 40th year beginning on Thursday.

The classic & antique car festival is expected to bring thousands of visitors and hundreds of cars to the park, dating back to the early 1900s.

The Musikfest show will be the first day — and second stop — in Allman’s See It All American Tour with Donovan Frankenreiter. The tour will be an attempt by Allman and Frankenreiter to set the official world record by playing 50 shows in 50 states in 49 days.

Philadelphia psyche-pop master Kurt Vile and The Violators, who topped the Adult Album Alternative charts with the 2015 song “Pretty Pimpin’” and have had three albums in the overall Top 50, will headline a concert with the late jazz great Sun Ra’s band The Sun Ra Arkestra at Allentown’s Miller Symphony Hall.

The opening acts for Musikfest's main stage headliners have been announced. They include several Lehigh Valley favorites.

A completely dry stretch of weather is almost unheard of this time of year, said meteorologist Bobby Martrich of EPAWA Weather Consulting, the official forecaster of Musikfest.

The first celebration featured an array of talent with an emphasis on local artists.

With around 1 million people expected to attend Musikfest this year, health and safety take top priority for organizers. Everything from cooling misters to medical tents will be on site.

Tommy Castro, who has won the Blues Foundation B.B. King Entertainer of the Year four times, will perform with his band The Painkillers on Feb. 27. And Low Cut Connie, the Philadelphia retro-piano-rock band that has shown up on Barack Obama's Spotify Summer Playlist and gotten effusive praise from Elton John, will perform March 5.

During the hourlong drive through Christmas City, a guide shares facts about the Moravian traditions and the Star of Bethlehem.

Social media rumblings this week included a number of people saying they weren’t able to mail Christmas cards from the Bethlehem Post Office using the special Christmas City postmark. Postal service officials have said there’s no cause for concern.

Eric Hutchinson, whose 2008 song “Rock & Roll” topped that chart, and who also hit the chart with 2009’s “OK, It’s Alright With Me” and 2012’s “Watching You Watch Him,” will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 23.

Marblehead Chowder House on William Penn Highway in Palmer Township has been in operation since 1996. The ownership says the business has changed with the times and owes its success to loyal customers and staff.

As the owners of Smartivity Showcase cut the ribbon Thursday night on their new store, they prepared to close the art market's original home in Easton.

"Ready, Set, Glow" premiered on Thursday with host Wes Brown's trip to Bethlehem where he stopped at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem and Christkindlmarkt.

"Disney on Ice Presents Into the Magic," which continues through Sunday at Allentown's PPL Center showcases characters from the Disney movie "Tangled," Flynn Rider and Rapunzel, who fall in love. Turns out that the actors who play those parts — Jason Marsh as Flynn and Taylor Steele as Rapunzel — are real-life husband and wife.

The Four Phantoms in Concert, featuring Brent Barrett, John Cudia, Franc D’Ambrosio and Ciarán Sheehan, will perform "iconic hits from Broadway and beyond" on Saturday, March 29.

The Bethlehem singer, who placed second on season 26 of the NBC singing competition, reveals to LehighValleyNews.com what she learned from the show.

The Allentown nonprofit is gearing up to break ground that would add around 6,000 square feet to its art school located at 510 Linden St. The state awarded $1 million through an LSA grant to the project, which is expected to cost around $5.5 million.

Archer Music Hall, which developers have called a state-of-the-art entertainment venue at 935-939 Hamilton St., now has an operational website.