Eat, Drink, and Stink in Easton first weekend in October

The Easton Garlic festival is hosted by the Easton Farmers Market, which opens at 8am. Regional and local garlic growers and market vendors will offer specialty garlic foods along with other quality fare to satisfy your cravings for the pungent bulb.

Our Chef’s Showcase will educate and entertain you with ongoing cooking and garlic gardening demonstrations. A highlight will be 3 Celebrity Chef Cook-off competitions, in which chefs prepare a gourmet garlic dish and a panel of celebrity judges choose the winner. Throughout the day local chefs, as well as honorary festival chefs, will entertain you with mouth watering cooking demonstrations with samples for the audience. Wegman’s chefs will be on hand for an afternoon demonstration as well as Sagre Cooking.

Line up early to participate in The Morning Call’s Gastric Garlic People’s Choice Award contest. The first 300 people will get to sample 11 local chefs' odiferous creations and vote for the stinkin best. $5 entry fee.

There’ll be musical entertainment, free samples from local shops.

More here: Easton Garlic Fest

Adventure Allentown Guide released

From the Mayor's newsletter:

As part of an on-going effort to inform residents and visitors of a multitude of leisure activities available throughout the city, Mayor Ed Pawlowski has announced that a new guide, "Adventure Allentown' will be distributed city-wide over the next two weeks.

The City's 32 page guide to fall and winter leisure activities will be inserted in the Morning Call newspaper, distributed to all public and private schools, and more than 50 other locations in the city.

"Adventure Allentown represents an intensive and collaborative effort on the part of city personnel and leisure providers throughout the city," said Greg A. Weitzel, City Director of Parks, Recreation & Trails. "We look forward to providing this resource twice a year for residents and visitors to learn more about the myriad of activities, programs and facilities available in Allentown," Weitzel said.

The 'Adventure Allentown' guide contains information on special events, youth and adult programs; city parks and golf; music and theater; the library and museums; outdoor adventure and other useful information for city park and recreation services. The guide also includes maps of parks and recreation areas, event schedules and a comprehensive list of community agencies dedicated to youth, adults and senior citizens.

"Adventure Allentown represents a new beginning for the City," said Pawlowski. "We will use the guide to help inform residents and visitors about new programs that highlight our city's commitment to fitness, healthy lifestyles, the arts, and economic vitality through events that capitalize on the city's greatest assets," the mayor added.

Two summer interns from Penn State University and Muhlenberg College assisted city employees in a three month effort to compile the information for the 80,000 copy guide.

A Spring/Summer Guide is also planned for release in late February 2008.

Residents may also pick-up the Fall/Winter Adventure Allentown guide at City Hall, or the Park and Recreation offices on Parkway Boulevard. For questions, please call 610-437-7750 or email prt@allentowncity.org

Ready for some Guiness? Celtic Classic this weekend

One of the largest festivals in the Valley, Celtic Classic will take place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Bethlehem. Outside of kilts and Guiness the festival boasts one of the largest highland games in North America and great (free) live entertainment.

More here: Celtic Classic

Banana's aka Banana Joe's Closes

Banana Joe's in Allentown announced yesterday it is closed due to a dramatic drop off in patrons because of a shooting a few weeks ago.

From the Morning Call:

Allentown's Mayor Pawlowski was at a City Hall news conference to promote Hype da' Vote, a meet-the-candidates day and voter registration drive to be held Saturday, September 29th from 2 to 8pm at Indulge nightclub at 570 Union Boulevard in Allentown. The news conference and Saturday's event were originally going to be held at Bananas.

''I think it's sad that one or two troublemakers have this much of an impact. There's a lot of great things happening in the city,'' the mayor said.

Pawlowski said the city would work to market the site, calling it ''a great location and a fabulous facility.''

He said the city will continue its revitalization efforts, and pointed to the recent addition of Allentown Brew Works and the soon-to-be opened Johnny Mañanas, both on Hamilton Street, as proof the city is heading in the right direction.

''It's sad when any business closes, [but] we will work with the owners of the property to utilize it as a business or bar or restaurant,'' Pawlowski said.

That said, where else is there to go nightclub dancing in the Valley?