
John J. Moser
News DirectorI’m deputy director for news at LehighValleyNews.com and have been a reporter and editor at newspapers in Pennsylvania and North Carolina for nearly 40 years. I spent more than 30 years at The Morning Call in Allentown as a reporter, copy editor and editor, and for 12 years was its music critic and entertainment writer. I’ve captured more than two dozen statewide and national awards for writing and editing, and was part of a team of reporters in North Carolina that was runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Contact me at JohnM@lehighvalleynews.com or 610-984-8183.
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Over the next few weeks, the Musikfest poster will appear on all platforms, including ArtsQuest websites. It will be used as the official festival 2024 poster and mug, as well as incorporated into other official festival merchandise and apparel throughout the year.
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Dolly Parton has announced that “Dolly Parton ROCKSTAR: The Global First Listen Event” will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15.
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"Corteo," which Cirque du Soleil said has performed before 10 million spectators in 20 countries on four continents, will perform six shows March 28-31 at PPL Center. It will be the show's first time in Allentown.
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The festival, which normally costs $11 advance or $12 day-of on Fridays, will be free from 5 to 8 p.m. "each and every Friday," ArtsQuest announced.
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The last showing of "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" at Frank Banko Alehouse Cinema in Bethlehem’s ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks is Nov. 5. It also ends its run then at AMC Allentown 16, 1700 Catasauqua Road, Allentown, and The Movie Tavern-Trexlertown, 6150 Hamilton Blvd., Allentown.
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The festival still drew a combined 38,500 people over its Oct. 6-8 an Oct. 13-15, ArtsQuest said.
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Pierson has performed in various configurations, including bands, trios, duos and solos. Her Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio hit No. 2 on the Folk Radio Charts in 2015 with its song "Still She Will Fly" and No. 1 on the Folk Radio Albums chart with its 2017 full-length debut, "Singin’."
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The entire movie — all 2 hours and 48 minutes of it (more about that later) — is footage of a performance of Swift's Eras Tour concert filmed at the tour's last U.S. dates at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in early August.
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On Thursday the new concert movie 'Taylor Swift The Eras Tour' will open at ArtsQuest's Frank Banko Alehouse Cinema, bringing Taylor Swift back to the Lehigh Valley in film version, but she has a long, real history in the area, as well.
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The expanded ice rink, which will be 50-by-120 feet — 1,500 square feet bigger than last year — will officially open Nov. 21 and run through Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 15
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Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks announced a 2025 season of 48 concerts (two more than last year) in the venue's 15th year at a season reveal event at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.
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Citizen Soldier, whose songs "Heavy" and "Burden" made the charts last year, will perform on Aug. 16. Opening the show will be 10 Years and Adelitas Way.
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Maren Morris, whose debut single "My Church" sold double platinum and hit Top 5 on the Country chart, then had a six-times platinum pop hit with "The Middle," and four-times-platinum "The Bones," and will play Wind Creek Event Center at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16.
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Turning the Tide, a Nazareth-based band that has played festivals and nightclubs from Killington, Vermont, to Key West, Florida — including in Boston and Atlantic City — will open the May 8 show.
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Lukas Nelson, son of country music icon Willie Nelson and leader of the popular country-rock band Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, will perform Friday, July 18.
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Elvis Costello, whose career bridged punk and new wave music with mainstream, will perform with his band The Imposters at 8 p.m. Sept. 8 at Wind Creek Event Center, it was announced. Joining him onstage will be guitarist Charlie Sexton, who hit the Billboard chart with his own album in 1989, then toured with Bob Dylan and recorded with Lucinda Williams and Shawn Colvin.
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Costas Alestas, 44, of Palmer Township, entered the plea before Northampton County Judge Samuel P. Murray. He admitted guilt to charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and invasion of privacy, according to the Northampton County District Attorney's Office.
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Eric Hutchinson's new Best Of tour stops at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks at 7:30 p.m. tonight, April 23. Tickets for the show, at $40 (some areas are sold out) remain available at the SteelStacks website.
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ArtsQuest’s Ginvitational: A Celebration of Cocktails will return to SteelStacks for a fourth year on June 8 in Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center, it was announced.
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To arrive at emergency scenes faster and well-staffed, Upper Macungie Fire & Rescue in Lehigh County has launched a staffing incentive program that will pay "qualified and trained" volunteers to cover 12-hour shifts.
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The series of 10 Wednesday night movies will begin May 21. Families are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets to the Levitt lawn for the films, which start at 6:30 p.m.
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"The Book of Mormon," which has grossed nearly $1billion, making it one of the most successful musicals of all time, will return to the theater for three performances Sept. 27-28.