Das Awkscht Fescht

Here's an alternative to Musikfest this weekend. For those of you interested in a different type of "fest"...

Das Awkscht Fescht

When: Aug. 4 - 6

Where: Macungie Memorial ParkThe 2006

Admission: $6

Das Awkscht Fescht is one of the largest antique and classic car shows in the country with over 3,000 show cars. Great food, entertainment, folk art, antiques & crafts, kid's activities, bingo, and flea market items. There is a Toy Show and fireworks on Saturday.

Let the "Festing" Begin...

New to the area and have no clue what all the Musikfest hype is about?

Here's the Cliffs Notes version...10 days of constant music, tons of food and beverages and hundreds of thousands of people! Would you want to miss that? We didn't think so!

When: 08/04/2006 - 08/13/2006

Where: Downtown Bethlehem, you can't miss it!
Musikfest, America's Music Festival, showcases more than 500 musical performances over 10 days. The event also features a wealth of mouth-watering foods and desserts, children's activities, visual arts and crafts and a closing-night fireworks spectacular. This year's performers include Kenny G, Heart, Carrie Underwood, Styx/Kansas, Trace Adkins, LL Cool J, Train, Melissa Etheridge, Dr. John, Kathy Mattea, Chris Botti and many more.

Don't forget to stop by Volksplatz on Sunday, August 6th between 5p-11p to see some of your fellow NET members working the enitre platz!

Rocketing inflation strikes Lehigh Valley

Rampant inflation continued to march through the Lehigh Valley this spring, led by surging prices in fuel, housing and medical care.
Over the past year, consumer prices have rocketed about 7 percent overall, the largest annual increase ever measured in the 22-year history of The Morning Call/Kamran Afshar Consumer Price Index.

"This is really, really high," said Kamran Afshar, the Bethlehem-based economist who assembles the price survey, adding, "I don't want to say it, but maybe we should get used to it."

That's because Lehigh Valley inflation has been well above the 3 percent average for more than two years, outpacing the rest of America during that time.

But now, inflation is rearing its head across the nation, too. In the April-to-June quarter, Lehigh Valley prices rose 1.63 percent. Meanwhile, United States inflation rose by nearly the same amount, 1.55 percent during the same time.

"This quarter, the nation caught up with us," Afshar said.

-- reporting by Gregory Karp, The Morning Call

Article courtsey of The Morning Call