Arts & Culture

Whether you're looking to side with safety to celebrate Independence Day this year, want a fun event or just don't want to deal with post-celebration clean-up, plenty of spots in the Lehigh Valley are offering free and purchase-required events.

Celtic Classic is scheduled Sept. 27-29 on the festival grounds near downtown Bethlehem.

That clash of fantasy and education worlds comes to Ag Hall at Allentown Fairgrounds July 5-7, when Jurassic Quest, which bills itself as North America’s most popular interactive dinosaur event, returns to Allentown.

On Saturday, thousands of Eagles fans descended upon Coca-Cola Park to watch the 3rd annual DeVonta Smith & Friends Celebrity Softball Game, where proceeds benefitted St. Luke's and IronPigs charities

The Thunderhawk, one of 10 wooden roller coasters still operating, was built in 1924.

Fans came together at Fairview Cemetery on Saturday to pay homage to actress Jayne Mansfield, star of stage, page, and screen.

Brooks & Dunn, the country music Hall of Fame duo who, after retiring in 2010 has reunited for a tour of 20 venues, made a stop Friday at Allentown's PPL Center.

The free performance will take place starting at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 29 at the Rose Garden.

Tony Trischka’s EarlJam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs, featuring Michael Daves, Jared Engel and Duncan Wickel, will be at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 30, Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. 4th St., Bethlehem.

Pablo Batista, Hector Rosado and Luisito Rosario will headline ArtsQuest's ¡Sabor! Latin Festival on Saturday, June 29.

Blue October, best known for the 2006 platinum hits “Hate Me” and “Into The Ocean,” will play the event center at 6:30 p.m. July 27. It will be joined by Switchfoot, best known for its hits “Meant to Live” and "Dare You to Move,” and singer Matt Nathanson, best known for his 2008 hit “Come On Get Higher.”

“Unspun: Stories of Silk,” which runs through April 28, explores the Lehigh Valley’s Moravian connection to silk production.

The Monster Jam truck show, which features trucks 12 feet tall and 12 feet wide, sitting atop 66-inch-tall tires and weighing at least 10,000 pounds, will have sessions at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. July 13 and 1 p.m. July 14.

Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors will perform at 8 p.m. Sunday at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem.

Old Crow Medicine Show has spent 25 years exploring the depths of classic folk, country, and Americana, all the while making tunes distinctly their own. On April 13, the band is coming to the State Theatre as part of the tour in support of their latest album, Jubilee.

Let’s Sing Taylor — A Live Band Experience Celebrating Taylor Swift, which calls itself “the ultimate tribute to the music of Taylor Swift,” will perform June 15 at the center, at 301 W. Mill St.

The Allentown Film Festival is now in its second year and will feature short films and Q&A sessions with filmmakers.

Actor/comedian Patrick Roach, who plays the character Randy on “Trailer Park Boys,” will bring Randy's Cheeseburger Picnic to Maingate Nightclub on Saturday, June 1.

Violinist Diane Monroe and New Jersey-based dance group Nimbus are among the scheduled performers set for April at Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University.

Megan Campbell and her son Finley have just released their first storybook, "Home is Where the Heart is," which features some of the young man's favorite spots in Easton.

Blues Traveler, which also in the 1990s had five gold and platinum albums and whose 1990 hit "Run-Around" spent 49 weeks on the Top 100, will perform Aug. 24. Also on the show will be Big Head Todd and The Monsters, who had the Top 15 hits “Bittersweet,” “Broken Hearted Savior” and “Resignation Superman.”

A $900,000 grant to ArtsQuest and the City of Bethlehem will improve pedestrian infrastructure around the nonprofit's Banana Factory complex on Third Street.