Arts & Culture

Coalition for Appropriate Transportation outside its headquarters on Friday announced it was awarded $634,122 to further its educational programming across the Lehigh Valley.

Recently retired linebacker Brandon Graham was the star turn at Dorney Park's tailgate party, where more than 100 fans celebrated the NFL season’s imminent start.

ArtsQuest's Cold Brew Hullabaloo, a cold coffee convention that debuted at Musikfest Café at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks last year, will return Sept. 14, it was announced.

This year's honorees are abstract artist Michael Freeman, Lehigh University producer Steven Lichak, museum accessibility advocate Elise Schaffer, and members of the IceHouse Performing Arts Collaborative. The group will be honored at an awards ceremony in September.

The Struts performed Wednesday night at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks. The focus of the concert was a celebration of the 10th anniversary U.S. release of their debut album, "Everybody Wants."

To CEO Russell Fletcher, starting out as a small hyper-local business gave Mishka Premium Vodka a leg up to evolve at the rate it is right now. Soon, the vodka, which is distilled in Allentown, will be carried by yet another national chain.

Cheap Trick, which had its first hit with “Surrender” in 1978 and 10 years later had its biggest hit with “The Flame,” will perform Oct. 22. And Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, with his Led Zeppelin Evening will perform Nov. 15.

The Struts stop at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks for a paid-ticket show in which it will play the entire album, as well as other songs.

St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church held a festival for the community to raise money for families and victims of the deadly attack at Prophet Elias Church (Mar Elisa) in Damascus, Syria.

The Route 22 Filmworks Film Festival returns to Bethlehem’s Charles A. Brown Ice House for its third year on Saturday. The nine-hour event will feature 39 short films, including student work from several Pennsylvania universities.

The I Love the 90s Tour, which features Vanilla Ice, Rob Base, Tone Lōc and C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams, will perform at 8 p.m. March 15 at Wind Creek Event Center.

The Athena Awards were presented during a luncheon at ArtsQuest Center on Tuesday. The awards honor women who provide valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in the Lehigh Valley and who actively assist other women in realizing their full leadership potential.

Actor/comedian Patrick Roach, who plays the character Randy on “Trailer Park Boys,” will bring Randy's Cheeseburger Picnic to The Gin Mill and Grille in Northampton on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Shye Roberts, a graduate of Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, performed Monday night on "The Voice" and earned a chance to compete in the next round of competition on the NBC show.

PAW Patrol Live! “A Mighty Adventure,” a musical production based on the top-rated computer generate animated series, will perform shows at 6 p.m. April 29 and 30.

Crayola Creativity Week will include a wide array of special programming featuring actors, musicians, artists, scientists, and more, all aiming to promote utilizing a creative touch in every part of life.

Hundreds of costumed kids scrambled for candy at Halloween parades across the Lehigh Valley over the weekend.

Consignment and thrift stores in the Lehigh Valley carry clothes and accessories to DIY Halloween costumes on a budget.

Ruben Studdard, who won the second season of “American Idol” in 2003 and followed up with two chart-topping albums that went gold and platinum, will perform at Symphony Hall as the “Special Guest Star” of singer/pianist Jim Brickman’s Comfort and Joy Holiday Celebration, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23.

The owner of Smartivities Showcase has opened a second location at the Promenade Saucon Valley.

The restaurant changed hands and its name around two years ago. Now, it's set to soon return to what the community last knew it as: Spiros Restaurant.

The event is organized by Interlace Cultural y Desarrollo Integral de Lehigh Valley in partnership with the Baum Art School and the City of Allentown.