Arts & Culture

Check out a roundup of activities, places, and times to see the fireworks as the Lehigh Valley celebrates Independence Day.

Next year marks 250 years since the colonists produced a bold declaration of freedom and self-governance that still echoes today. It will be an occasion celebrated and recognized across the land — and we at Lehigh Valley Public Media are no exception.

In addition to live music, there will be more than a dozen local vendors, businesses and crafters, as well as trail and outdoor demonstrations, and group walks.

Steel Panther, which has had five albums top Billboard's Comedy chart, will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 11 at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, it was announced.

In the spirit of Shakespeare, Saturday's celebration will feature entertainment for all ages, including musical performances by the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, alpaca and ponies, and a student-led Latin band.

From 8 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. Friday, June 27, you'll be able to buy tickets for five of Musikfest's 11 headline shows, two paid-ticket Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks shows and nine Musikfest Cafe shows without paying any service fees.

Howie Mandel, who since 2010 has been a judge on “America’s Got Talent,” will perform with fellow comedian Brad Garrett at 8 p.m. Aug. 24. And Alan Parsons Live Project, which continues the work of Alan Parsons Project, will perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 2.

Now in its 14th year, the festival honors Puerto Rican culture in the city. The three-day celebration starts on Thursday with a documentary screening, a tribute to the women of salsa, and a flag-raising on Friday, and more Latin music and food on Saturday.

Lehigh Valley Dodgeball is building an inclusive, community-driven space for players of all skill levels in Easton. Open gyms are now underway every Monday night.

Shankweiler’s, renowned as the oldest continuously operating drive‑in theatre in the country since 1934, will soon be showcased to millions across the country on "Good Morning America."

Daryl Hall, who with John Oates made up Hall and Oates, a vocal duo that had 19 songs hit the Top 10 on various charts, will perform at 7:30 p.m. July 19.

Alan Doyle's music is heavily influenced by his Irish heritage and the Celtic sea shanties, filled with the sounds of accordions, whistles, fiddles and barons. He will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, at Musikfest Café at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

Partnering with Moravian University, ArtsQuest will hold summer art camps on the south campus of the college.

Bethlehem’s Central Moravian Church will hold a free screening of the 2023 documentary on March 10 at Frank Banko Alehouse Theatre.

Cake, known for its 1996 double-platinum hit “The Distance” and platinum hit "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," will perform a paid-ticket show at the venue at 7 p.m. Sept. 28, ArtsQuest announced.

Heart, famed for hits including “Alone,” “Barracuda,” “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You,” will perform the fair's opening night, as it would have last year, at 7 p.m. Aug. 27, the fair announced.

A Lehigh Valley student has taken the top spot for a Pennsylvania poetry competition. In May, Isavel Mendoza will move on to the national finals in Washington, D.C., to represent Pennsylvania.

A week after Jahan Dotson's homecoming celebrations, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will be recognized by the City of Allentown on Sunday, March 2, at the PPL Center. Ticket purchases will benefit his charity, the Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation.

The Sam Houseal Band, Highest Bidder and Sakura Ryoko will perform at a previously announced preview night for the new venue at a previously announced paid-ticket preview night.

Third Eye Blind, best known for the hits “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Jumper,” “How It’s Going To Be,” “Jumper” and “Graduate,” will play the festival's main Steel Stage at 7 p.m. Aug. 9.

From his days as a Nazareth Blue Eagle to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, Jahan Dotson never forget where he came from. On Saturday night, he was hailed a hometown hero at the Lehigh Valley Phantoms game.

At the Allentown Art Museum on Saturday, Dr. James Nangeroni was gifted a painting he entered into a Crayola children's arts contest when he was a third-grade student at Dodd Elementary in 1992.