Arts & Culture

The 19th annual Emmaus Arts Commission Student Film Festival has opened registration, giving students throughout the Lehigh Valley opportunities to make something for the big screen with a kickoff event taking place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24 in the Emmaus Community Park's Arts Pavilion.

Laura Brady is hosting a reception on Friday, Sept. 22.

The Sigal Museum's "Forged by Fire" exhibition opens at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, featuring relics from Northampton County's long history of firefighting.

Now in its 35th year, the event — organized by the Celtic Cultural Alliance (CCA) — will feature five stages of Celtic entertainers, Irish food, beer and whiskey, a Haggis Bowl contest, a youth fiddle competition and a Tartan parade with pipe bands.

Ryan Cabrera, who had the 2004 Top 10 Pop chart singles "On the Way Down" and "True," will perform at Bethlehem's Harvest Fest — the free street fair that runs noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 14 at Main and Broad streets.

The Berks Fiddle Festival, an annual celebration of folk music, held its 40th anniversary edition at Bear Creek Mountain Resort on Sunday. "It's the music that's in my heart," said one festival-goer.

The historical site celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Apple Days Festival and the 275th year of the plantation.

Bill George will present a solo retelling of Homer's classic Greek tale on Saturday, Sept. 16 and Sunday, Sept. 17.

Two Bethlehem Area School District art teachers created a colorful stairs mural designed to inspire those faced with life's obstacles.

The annual Lehigh Valley Polo for Equi-librium will take place at Braden Airpark on Sunday, Sept. 17.

Artist Vaughn Randall's cast iron and bronze Locus sculpture was chosen as winner of the third annual Sculpture at SteelStacks national contest. An official ceremony was held outside the Bethlehem Visitor Center on Thursday evening where the sculpture will be displayed for one year.

The Puerto Rican political activist and author was in town to promote his new memoir "Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit That is Transforming America."

The foodie festival is now in its ninth year and will occur from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, showcasing "diverse options" of food, drinks and concerts.

The Harlem Globetrotters will return to Allentown's PPL Center at 7 p.m. Feb. 27, it has been announced.

Performers Kassi Ashton, Kelsey Hart, Meghan Patrick and Annie Bosko will be the lineup for Cat Country 96 Jingle Jam, which traditionally night for up-and-coming country acts performing acoustic music.

The 2024-25 Pennsylvania State Budget introduced updates to the state's complex liquor laws, including extended happy hours and ready-to-drink cocktails. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board already received over a thousand RTDC applications and has begun permitting with the law effective Sept. 16.

”A Sousa Band Concert” with the Allentown Band playing the music of famed composer and conductor John Philip Sousa will be held Sunday, Oct. 13, at Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown. At the show, the first Sousaphone — the large-belled instrument in the tuba family named after Sousa — will be displayed.

Cut the Scrap! opened in June on North 19th Street in the West End of Allentown. Crafters can trade in secondhand art supplies, shop for goods or take an art class.

The Karl Stirner Arts Trail will introduce their 2024-25 artist-in-residence Chakaia Booker with the premier of a piece built from recycled tires, No More Milk and Cookies, at the trail this Sunday.

Several events are in the works to celebrate Latino culture across the Lehigh Valley during Hispanic Heritage Month, which starts Sunday, Sept. 15.

"67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania' will be on display at the Bethlehem Township campus through Sunday, Sept. 22.

Art In The Park, which will showcase the works of hundreds of local musicians, painters, photographers and sculptors, will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept 14, in West End Park.