No matter which winter holidays you celebrate, exchanging gifts is part of the traditions. But if your recipient’s taste is apart from the mainstream, shopping can be tough. You’ll often find shelves loaded with mass-produced merchandise that essentially copies-and-pastes itself. There’s a better approach – the eighth annual Indiemade Craft Market (ICM) on December 5. This... »
The phrase “Pennsylvania Youth Theatre” might prompt mental images of ramshackle sets, homemade costumes, and a cast of awkward kids stumbling around on stage. But you’d be absolutely wrong on all counts. PYT is actually a regional performing-arts school. Thousands of children have studied drama, music and dance during its 30-year history and – with help from professional ... »
Step inside the first floor of the historic Easton Dollar Savings & Trust building – a beautiful three-story stone structure located at 8 Centre Square – and you may suddenly feel as if you’ve been transported into Manhattan’s Soho art scene. The high white walls display an assortment of eye-catching paintings and artistic creations, while the wide-open, refreshingly a... »
Locals know it and love it. Others come from far and wide to enjoy Lehigh Valley’s 10-day summer music festival year after year. From live performances and popular headliners to mouthwatering food and a variety of flavorful beverages, Musikfest continues to delight guests of all ages. This year it comes with some special new additions to the programming, including a whole ... »
For many music groups, getting exposure can be a problem. But that’s “No Pressure” for the Hanover Township, Northampton County, band that Bob Sedlock manages. “No Pressure” is the name of the ‘80s-to-pop kid cover band that Sedlock’s sons Grant and Bryant created three years ago with friend Andrew “Drew” Cirillo. Growing in size and popularity each year, the band boasts a... »
The Lehigh Valley has long had a burgeoning music scene – from Lillian Briggs to Dooley Invention to Magnum to Taylor Swift – but, until 1999, there were only the usual ways of recognizing the players’ and singers’ accomplishments. Regular paying gigs are rewarding, and you can’t beat a devoted fan base… but there’s nothing quite like being called on-stage to receive a tan... »
When looking to adorn Allentown’s new luxury Renaissance Hotel with art that could capture the color, glamour and excitement of the city’s rebirth, one artist’s name topped the list: Ann Elizabeth Schlegel. “I immediately thought of Ann,” said Jane Heft, vice president and director of project design and branding for City Center of Lehigh Valley. Heft had seen Schlegel’s se... »
Our lives are way too hectic. We text during family dinners. The kids are on their iPads in the back seat of the car. Mom and Dad are on their cell phones during school functions. The time has come to for us to “power down.” Why not start with an afternoon visit to a museum? Here in the Lehigh Valley we have access to two great museums, the Allentown Art Museum and the Sig... »
Some might think elementary school art teacher Angela Faidley was out of her mind for launching a business in her 22nd year of employment at St. Ann’s School in Emmaus. But, if you ask Faidley, teaching art during the day and running an art studio at night is “a dream come true.” “I have asked myself, ‘Why start a new career in the middle of my life,’” she said. “But then ... »
By Ann Wlazelek ArtsQuest has a new leader at the helm. Kassie Hilgert, former senior vice president of marketing and advancement for the Bethlehem-based non-profit organization that runs Musikfest, Chriskindlmarkt and Steel Stacks, earned the position and was selected out of more than 30 candidates in a nationwide search for founder Jeff Parks’ successor at ArtsQuest. Q. ... »
