4th of July Festivities

Are you looking for some ways to fill your holiday weekend! Here's a list of local events to keep you busy...
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Thursday 7/3

Summer in the City - at the PPL Plaza - 11:45 - 1:15pm (Allentown)
-Back by popular demand, Summer in the City features the Lehigh Valley's best musicians in
a variety of musical genres. From Jazz to Folk and Classical to Celtic,you will be entertained every Thursday during lunch, from 11:45am -1:15pm, right at the PPL Plaza. Come early and grab a seat, or bring your own lawn chair! This week you can enjoy music with the Fusion Jazz Trio.

Young@Heart - at Civic's Theatre 514 - 7:00pm - $6-8
-You may have seen hilarious, though out-of-context, clips of the Young@Heart vocal choir performing on YouTube, but you have not yet seen the full, uplifting story of twenty-plus senior citizens daring enough to sing songs born in the same years as their grandchildren. This Stephen Walker documentary follows the group over six weeks of rigorous rehearsals, in which they attempt music by the Clash, the Ramones and James Brown, among others. Riotously funny in its portrayal of the generation gap between the songs and the people singing them, but unflinchingly real in its portrayal of heartbreaking loss, Young@Heart is a pragmatic portrait of senior citizens refusing to fade into oldage.
-This film is part of the 19th Street Film Series.
-Visit civictheatre.com for more information.

Son of Rambow - at Civic Theatre - 7:30pm - $6-8
-A strangely beautiful love letter to cinema in general, Son of Rambow follows Will Proudfoot, a reserved young boy whose family is part of the Brethren, a religion that shuns the outside world and prohibits Will from having friends at school or watching TV. Will gets caught up in the world of Lee Carter, however, the school terror who wants help in making a homemade version of the Sylvester Stallone film First Blood. After watching the original, Will writes his own sequel and casts himself as the son of Rambo. The whole school soon wants in on this unlikely project, including a suave French exchange student who threatens the integrity of the production and the friendship between Will and Lee.
-This film is part of the 19th Street Film Series.
-Visit civictheatre.com for more information.

Lehigh Valley Beer Meet Up - at the Allentown Brew Works - 7:00pm
-Come for an early celebration of Red, White and Blue - Blueberry, that is, at the Allentown Brew Works this Thursday! Come join the Lehigh Valley Beer Meetup for a free beer tasting of the Blueberry Belch at 7pm at the main bar. See http://beer.meetup.com/204 for more info and RSVP to diane@thebrewworks.com.

Pioneer Band- 4th of July Concert - at West Park - 7:30pm
-Enjoy a free band concert admist the natural beauty of Allentown's West Park.

IronPigs vs. the Yankees - at Coca-Cola Park- Game starts at 7:05pm
-Hot dogs, locally brewed beer and BASEBALL -- in a brand new stadium...the perfect way to spend some quality time with family, friends or co-workers.
-Visit: www.ironpigsbaseball.com for more information and a complete schedule.


Friday 7/4

"Let Freedom Ring" National Bell Ringing Ceremony - at Liberty Bell Shrine Museum - 1:30pm -Join in this Independence DayCeremony. The ceremony begins at 1:30pm. Allentown's Liberty Bell will be rung, and bell ringing will take place across the nation at 2pm. "Pip the Colonial Mouse" will be there too!

Son of Rambow - at Civic Theatre - 1:30pm - $6-8
-See description above.
-This film is part of the 19th Street Film Series.
-Visit civictheatre.com for more information.

Independence Day Celebration- J. Birney Crum Stadium
-Gates open at 6 pm. Entertainment by the Marine Band begins at 7:30pm. Skydivers will make their first appearance at 7:45pm followed by a second flight at 8:30pm and a third flight just before the fireworks begin. TheMarine Band will play additional sets beginning at 8:15 and 8:45pm. Mayor Ed Pawlowski, Police Chief Roger MacLean and Alan Raber will offer remarks and the Marine Band will play the national anthem just prior to the expected 9pm start of the fireworks.The show will include nearly 3200 shells and is expected to last 30-to-45 minutes. A donation of $5 per family and $2 per adult is requested to defray expenses of the approximately $20,000 show.

Fever Friday - in the Silk Lounge at Allentown Brew Works -10pm-2am
-Dance the night away in the Silk Lounge with DJ Sweetlife.This would be a great way to continue the night after Dancing in theStreets.

Saturday 7/5


Son of Rambow - at Civic Theatre - 1:30pm - $6-8
-See description above.
-This film is part of the 19th Street Film Series.
-Visit civictheatre.com for more information.

Jay and the Techniques - at Buck Boyle Park- 5pm
-Enjoy a free concert celebrating the holiday weekend at the beautiful Buck Boyle Park.

Hot Nights in Silk - in the Silk Lounge at Allentown BrewWorks - 10pm-2am
-Dance the night away in the Silk Lounge with DJ Maze.

Sunday 7/6

Son of Rambow - at Civic Theatre - 1:30pm - $6-8
-See description above.
-This film is part of the 19th Street Film Series.
-Visit civictheatre.com for more information.

Gospel Brunch - at the Allentown Brew Works - 11am-4pm- $5 cover

Bike Night - Art N Soul Studios - 4-7pm

IronPigs vs. the Bats - at Coca-Cola Park- Game starts at 5:35pm
-Hot dogs, locally brewed beer and BASEBALL -- in a brand new stadium...the perfect way to spend some quality time with family, friends or co-workers.
-Visit: www.ironpigsbaseball.com for more information and a complete schedule.

Municipal Band Concert - at West Park - 7:30pm
-Enjoy a free band concert admist the natural beauty of Allentown's West Park.

Monday 7/8

Yoga in the Park - Allentown Arts Park - 5-6:30pm
-Stretch out and do something good for your body and enjoy the beauty of the Allentown Arts Park while you're at it. Suggested donation of $5-10.

Free Jazz in Easton this Friday, 6/27!

Calling all you jazz fanatics!
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Jazz in the Square
FREE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
Presented by the Easton Main Street Initiative

Friday June 27th, 7:30-9:30 pm
Centre Square
Duet Jazz Fusion with guitarist, Frank Belinc and pianist, Patrick Poladian playing a soulful mix of rock, jazz and funk. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy "summer in the city!"

Dine in downtown Easton before or after the show!

Catch our other Shows this Summer...
July 25th Jazz Indigo
August 29th The New Groove
Sept. 26th Vocal Artist, Michele Bautier

Local Author Day at the Moravian Bookshop this Saturday, 6/28

Here's a way to beat the summer heat and meet some local authors; the Moravian Book Shop will be hosting a meet and greet with 5 local authors this Saturday (6/28) from 1-3 pm.

You can spend your afternoon with...

Vince Chiles: Happiness in Five Minutes a Day teaches the reader how to find happiness through five one-minute exercises, so that even the busiest person can discover his or her innate ability to achieve and maintain happiness. Vince has fused his education, personal growth, and professional work experience as a hospice supervisor into a common sense guide to finding happiness in everyday life.

William Jennings: Controversies surrounding the first three chapters of the Bible are the focus of Storms Over Genesis: Biblical Battleground in America's Wars of Religion. Feminists say the chapters do women much harm, some environmentalists see the seeds of our environmental crisis, and creationists think the chapters are a bulwark against theories of evolution. The Midwestern Book Review gave the book five stars, calling it "an enlightening study." William H. Jennings (Ph.D., Yale) is Professor of Religion, Emeritus, Muhlenberg College.

John Ketwig: John Ketwig's ...and a hard rain fell is being celebrated in a new, updated 20th Anniversary Edition. This book has been praised for more than twenty years because it is one of the most honest and thought-provoking war books of all time. From the country roads of upstate New York to the jungles of Vietnam, and finally to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., ...and a hard rain fell is a gripping and visceral account of one young man's struggle to make sense of his place in a world gone mad. A former Book of the Month Club feature selection, Kirkus called it "a searing gift to his country."

Larry Kimport: What ever happened to Huck Finn? Here's Clara Waltz's loving account, in the novel A Small Harvest of Pretty Days. An 1890's Pennsylvania love story, as vast and true as the human heart itself. Author Larry Kimport grew up in north-central Pennsylvania. For the past 22 years, he has coordinated an alternative educational program for at-risk teens in suburban New Jersey.

Joey Negron: 1Zero9 is a coming-of-age story that will take the reader on a roller-coaster ride of laughter, sadness, anger, love, empathy and realism. The book is a chronological recounting of life events that are connected, tied and branded by the numbers 1, 0, and 9. Joey works as a Mobile Therapist/Behavior Specialist Consultant for children and adolescents that have mental health disorders ranging from Autism to Conduct Disorder.

Blues, Brews & Barbecue This Saturday 6/28

If you're looking for something to do this weekend

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Blues, Brews & Barbecue
800 Block of Hamilton Street and the PPL Plaza – noon-8pm

This first year event is just what it sounds like – “Blues, Brews & Barbecue” the epitome of summer in one incredibly tasty, superbly soulful and outrageously fun event. This day will be full of barbecue competitions with the promise of finger-lickin’ good recipes, refreshing brews and music that will have you feelin' good. Hosted by the City of Allentown and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce this event will incorporate several restaurants and barbecue vendors including the Allentown Brew Works, Federal Grill, Grumpy’s Barbecue, Johnny Mañana’s, Tex’s Smokin’ Bar-B-Q, and Vicky’s Sweet Spot that will compete in contests (with celebrity judges like Mayor Pawlowski and others who will be announced soon) and sell delicious food – like brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken and more to the public. There will be several talented musical acts to entertain the crowd like BC & the Blues Crew, the Sarah Ayers Band, The WilyGoats and more. This event will fill the 800 Block of Hamilton Street with activity.

Give your feedback to Lanta!

How many of you use the LANTA system regularly? How many of you would like to, but the current system does not meet your needs?

Take 5 minutes and help the Regional Transportation Planning Advisory Committee get the information they need to improve public transportation in the Lehigh Valley. There are two surveys.

If you currently ride LANTA, click here to take the riders' survey.

If you do not currently use the LANTA system, click here for that survey.

More information can be found on the LANTA website or through the Moving LANTA Forward blog.

Bethlehem Restaurant Week

For all of you young professional foodies, this week is Bethlehem Restaurant Week! Go to your favorite place or try someplace new. With very reasonable pricing ($5-$15 for lunch and $10-30 for a 3 course dinner), you can try a new cuisine or restaurant without worry. 23 restaurants in Historic & South Side Bethlehem are participating, so there are plenty of choices. And you don't even need to worry about paying for parking; Historic Bethlehem restaurants will validate your parking for both garages, and South Side ones will give you tokens for the meters. Reservations are not required for many places, but they are strongly suggested since many places are extremely busy this week.

To see the list of restaurants and more details, visit www.bethlehemrestaurantweek.com.

Insurance, Taxes, and Savings

The New York Times has a great Primer for Young People Starting Their First Job. Make sure to take a second to read this. It offers a simple breakdown of the things you should be looking for in what can be a really complicated benefits package. There's advice on health insurance, taxes and income, and retirement packages.

Have fun.