Arts & Culture

A basketball hoop, lines and benches have been restored at the Wood Street Playground in Whitehall Township after a PennDOT plan to expand Route 22 was put on hold.

The Wheels of Time August Rod Run and Jamboree is returning to Macungie Memorial Park this weekend. The event brings thousands to view over 1,500 classic street rods and custom cars on August 25-27.

Dr. Lee Riley treats cancers at St. Luke’s University Health Network, but in his free time, he sculpts. He is the recipient of ArtsQuest’s Linny Award for Visual Artist of the Year.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs will host the Bacon and Brews Festival at Coca-Cola Park on Sept. 30. There will be brewers, ciders, distilleries, wineries and bacon items from IronPigs Concessions and select food vendors.

The Weight Band, featuring former The Band guitarist Jim Weider, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

Several theaters in the Lehigh Valley will offer discounted tickets on Sunday, Aug. 27. Close to 20 films will be shown throughout the region, including summer hits "Barbie," "Oppenheimer," and "Little Mermaid."

The Hooters, who combined ska and folk-rock on 1980s hits such as “Day By Day” and “And We Danced,” will perform at 8 p.m. at Univest Performance Center, 301 W. Mill St. Gates open at 6, and an opening act will go on at 6:30 p.m.

Starting Wednesday, gates at the Allentown Fairgrounds will close between Liberty and Chew Streets, the north and south borders of the grounds.

The Macungie family has other notable works around the Lehigh Valley and tri-state area, including the artwork for the most recent Musikfest.

While the Lehigh Valley IronPigs’ stadium again will have music emanating from its baseball diamond — and will look to do more — it doesn’t mean the park is likely to become a steady stop on the concert circuit, General Manager Kurt Landes said.

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.

The Slate Belt LGBTQ+ Community Association and the LGBTQ Business Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted the second annual Slate Belt Pride Saturday in Bangor.

Lehigh Valley Woodworker's Guild members make time to craft safe, quality wooden toys for children in the VNA St. Luke's Nurse-Family Partnership and area children's hospitals.

Says the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event marks “a celebration of our local culinary talent and a testament to the strong community spirit that makes our area special.”