Arts & Culture

This week Watching the Skies explores the ice giant, Uranus.

Hot temperatures and Jamaican-centric food teamed with cool music at the third annual OneEarth ReggaeFest at SteelStacks in Bethlehem on Saturday.

Scott Tournet will open for rock group The Record Company at Musikfest Cafe July 12.

Easton is set to extend the patriotic holiday season throughout the weekend with Heritage Day scheduled for Sunday, July 7, featuring historical reenactments, musical performances, food and fireworks.

Bethlehem native Ariel Torres became the first drag queen to perform at the Governor's Residence for its Pride Month Celebration Reception on June 26. Torres performed “I Was Here” by Beyoncé as his drag persona, Elektra Fierce St. James.

Duran Duran, which has 14 Top 25 hit songs including the No. 1 hits “Hungry Like the Wolf” in 1982, “The Reflex” in 1984 and “A View to a Kill” in 1985, on its Facebook page lists Allentown among seven cities in which it will announce shows "early next week."

One Earth ReggaeFest will take place at ArtsQuest's SteelStacks beginning at noon on Saturday, July 6.

For two decades, borough officials have celebrated Independence Day by handing out hundreds of kazoos and American flags to residents before parading through the streets, blaring patriotic songs the entire time. It almost didn't happen this year.

Mayor J. William Reynolds says turning the lights on at SteelStacks' blast furnaces would be costly for land owner Wind Creek, running up to as much as $1 million. But one city councilman says they need to be illuminated by the time Musikfest begins.

Childish Major, who rose to fame as the producer of the 2013 Rocko single “U.O.E.N.O,” which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, will join the show by Ludacris at 7 p.m. Aug. 10, Musikfest’s penultimate night. Also, opening the show will be a Philadelphia rapper LG (Team Genius), best known for her song “YBM,” which also has 10 million views on Instagram.

Eleven11 Nail Studio opened in late June in Easton. The owners say their goal is to provide clients with an experience focused on self care and pampering.

The opening night (the fest continues 2-11 p.m. today) offered New York gospel-blues trio The Harlem Gospel Travelers as headliners, and they offered an enthusiastic set. But it was some of the supporting acts that elevated the experience.

Easton Loves Local is coming hot off Restaurant Week, showcasing the downtown's independent retailers who will feature special limited-edition products and treats.

Cheap Trick, which was to be the opener for a show by rock band Heart, was announced Friday as the replacement for Heart as grandstand opening-night headliner at 7 p.m. Aug. 28. It will be joined for the show by another 1970s hit rock group — Blue Oyster Cult, best known for its 1976 hit "(Don't Fear) The Reaper."

It's been two weeks since rock band Heart canceled its opening-night headline concert at Allentown Fair, and it looks like the fair is set to announce a replacement.

Over 80 comics signed up for the first round of a new competition at the Emmaus Theatre that looks to seek the funniest in the Lehigh Valley.

For the first time, the two-day festival will feature a barbecue competition, along with 11 blues performers. It will take place Friday, July 19 and Saturday, July 20 at SteelStacks.

The short film, 'Love Letters to Bethlehem,' made its debut on Tuesday at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. It is now available to stream on YouTube.

Through this month, the symphony is offering a 10% discount on tickets to its popular Holiday Pops concert on Dec. 21 and Repertory Dance Theatre's "Nutcracker" on Dec. 7-8, both at Miller Symphony Hall at 23 S. 6th St., Allentown.

Michael W. Smith, who has won three Grammy Awards and 45 Dove Awards and has been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21.

The Linny Awards, presented to individuals from the region for longtime commitment and dedication to the arts, will be held later this year in Musikfest Cafe at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

More than six years since its conception and after thousands of hours of volunteer work, the creativity and arts center JuxtaHub has announced a slate of summer workshops.