Arts & Culture

Allentown City Planning Commission on Tuesday approved the construction of a 49-unit apartment building and parking garage on West Hamilton Street. The complex would house primary occupants 55-and-older and adults with disabilities. Representatives of the neighboring music school voiced concerns about increased traffic and the safety of students, parents, and staff.

Esther Lee, president of the Bethlehem NAACP chapter, has been a longtime advocate for housing, education and jobs for Black residents of the Lehigh Valley.

Our daily list of useful information, chosen to inform and enhance your day, includes news you can use and then some!

The Allentown City Planning Commission on Tuesday approved plans for the construction of the Archer Music Hall on Hamilton Street.

The virtual reality experience at Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University examines race relations and features community leaders from Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.

ArtsQuest is seeking photos of local "Hometown Heroes" for their Memorial Day exhibit.

Domenic Salerni, who grew up in Bethlehem and is now a member of the Attaca Quartet, captured a Grammy for his work on the album "Shaw: Evergreen."

Our daily list of useful information, chosen to inform and enhance your day, includes news you can use and then some!

In a pinch for that special someone? Easton Public Market is open Tuesday with vendors offering traditional items like flowers and chocolate — even fresh food to cook your sweetie a romantic dinner.

The band retains lead singer Ed Kowalczyk from its classic lineup, with new members guitarist Zak Loy, drummer Robin Diaz and bassist Chris Heerlein.

Tickets, starting at $126.65, remain available at the PPL Center website or the box office at 701 W. Hamilton St., Allentown.

In PPL Center's nearly 12-year history, it has been host for a handful of "final" tours. On Thursday, June 11, ballad-rockers Journey will be the latest.

"There are few events around the world that bring people together like the World Cup," ArtsQuest Chief Operating Officer Curt Mosel said at a news conference Friday. "And this year, our team will be taking it up a notch."

Bad Company Legacy, which includes two members of the group that from 1974-92 sold 20 million copies of hits such as “Can’t Get Enough,” “Feel Like Making Love” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy,” will perform at 7 p.m. Nov. 1. And Morgan Wade, whose hit "Wilder Days" helped get her nominated for the Academy of Country Music's New Female Artist of the Year in 2023, will perform at 8 p.m. Aug. 28.

A rainy Memorial Day weekend forecast is forcing some schedule changes across the Lehigh Valley, but several of the region’s biggest annual events say they’re moving forward — rain or shine.

On Thursday, ArtsQuest and public officials gathered for a ceremonial "brick-breaking" marking the start of construction work at the former Bethlehem Steel Turn and Grind Shop at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

Straight No Chaser will perform at the theater at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 5. And the stage play "Waitress" at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 and 16.

Friday's show, which started this year's lineup of 48 concerts, gave the audience its first exposure to a new state-of-the-art sound system that replaces a public address system developed 25 years ago.

Two-thirds of the way through construction, the new Creativity Center is ahead of schedule, below budget, growing in size and adding new elements of creativity, opportunity and community, officials said.

WWE will return to the Lehigh Valley this summer, bringing its 2026 Summer Tour to the PPL Center on Thursday, July 16, marking the company’s first live event in Allentown in roughly three years.

The Freddy Awards is now in its 24th year. The ceremony will take place on May 21 at State Theatre.

Country music star Martina McBride and Justin Hayward, who led The Moody Blues for more than 50 years, are among four new shows announced for the theater's 100th season.