Beloved Philanthropist Linny Fowler Dead at 73

Linny Fowler died Monday at the age of 73, according to reports.

Philanthropist Linny Fowler died Monday of natural causes, according to a report in The Morning Call. She was 73. UPS heiress Fowler was known locally for giving generously to the arts and to the poor. Several buildings in the Lehigh Valley are named in her honor, including the Fowler Family South Side Center of Northampton Community College in Bethlehem. She also was a major benefactor of ArtsQuest. NCC spokesman Heidi Butler said, "As the news traveled across campus this afternoon, there was shock and sadness, followed by spontaneous sharing of memories, not only of how generous Linny was, but also of how down-to-earth she was and about the personal interest she took in students and the encouragement she gave them. She was beloved." …

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Graham Parker, The Fixx Coming to SteelStacks

ArtsQuest Center announces new slate of shows, including Graham Parker & The Rumour, The Fixx and comedian Marc Maron.

  Graham Parker & The Rumour, comedian Marc Maron and The Fixx are among the new concerts announced for the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. Tickets for the shows are available at artsquest.org and 610-332-3378. The complete list of newly announced ArtsQuest Center performances is: I Am King - Feb. 22, 8 p.m. Fowler Blast Furnace Room Tickets: $10 in advance; $12 day of show I Am King offers a message of truth and hope with its music, with lyrics that are as important as the music. The group’s self-titled debut EP, recorded with Taylor Larson, is currently available on iTunes.   AmeDeus - March 2, 7 p.m. Fowler Blast Furnace Room Tickets: $7 in advance; $10 day of show   Graham Parker & The Rumour - April 5, 7:30 p.m. Musikfest Café …

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Peepsfest Dec. 30-31 Kicks Off New Year's in Bethlehem

Celebrate PEEPSFEST in Bethlehem Dec. 30-31 with music, arts and a Giant Peep-Drop at ArtsQuest Center.

PEEPSFEST™, a family festival that takes place Dec. 30-31, returns for its fourth year at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem. The event, which is free to attend, features two days packed with live music, arts and PEEPS®-related programming. It culminates Dec. 31, 5:15 p.m. with the dropping of a 4.5-foot tall, 85-pound, lit PEEPS® Chick and fireworks to welcome in the New Year. Matt Pye, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Just Born, said, “PEEPSFEST™ 2012 will be a magical extravaganza that will continue to make this relatively new event an annual holiday destination for the whole family. PEEPSFEST™ celebrates the fun and passion consumers have for the beloved PEEPS® Brand which is produced right here in Bethlehem.  There…

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Musikfest 2012: Ten New Things

This year's festival features more free music, more activities for kids and teens and Tibetan Monks.

  More Free Music: Fourteen of the record 15 Musikfest stages in 2012 will be free. That includes shows inside the Musikfest Café at SteelStacks, which was a paid venue in its first year in 2011. You only need to pay to get into shows at the Sands Steel Stage at PNC Plaza or the late night comedy shows at the Musikfest Café, which return this year. Two Venues: The KNBT Jazz Cabaret Stage provides Musikfest with its first full-time jazz venue in the larger of the two theatres (200 seats) in the Frank Banko Alehouse at SteelStacks. Martin Guitar Lyrikplatz, an acoustic stage for singer-songwriters, isn’t exactly new, but it has been relocated from the North Side next door to Handwerkplatz to the smaller (100 seats) of the two Frank Banko …

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Musikfest: There's an App For That

A new Musikfest app will provide performance schedules, an interactive festival map and festival updates in real time, festival organizer ArtsQuest has announced.

The Musikfest app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch will make its debut for the 2012 festival, ArtsQuest announced. Muskifest, the country's largest free outdoor music festival, runs Aug. 3-12 this year. More than 500 performances will take place during the event's 10-day run, with free music on 14 of the festival's 15 stages. The app, now available from the Apple App Store, was developed through a partnership between Trifecta Technologies of Allentown and ArtsQuest. Among the many features included in the app are: “Our patrons have been demanding that we have a Musikfest app,” ArtsQuest Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations Curt Mosel said in a news release. “We didn’t want to create an app until we were confident we could have a…

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Life in the Slow Lane

Executives Say Arts Are Good For Business

At Lehigh Valley Arts Council rally, companies talk about how music, theater, dance help with economic development.

Bethlehem candy manufacturer Just Born Inc. realizes that man does not live by Peeps alone. Sometimes he needs art. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Last week, the Lehigh Valley Arts Council held a rally for the arts and I’m pretty sure it was the first rally I’ve ever attended that opened with an organ recital. The music was courtesy of Allen Organ Co. in Macungie, host of the event at which artists and arts groups from around the region received small state grants. The grants – some as little as $437 – are for local groups and individuals who bring music, dance, theater and artwork to people all over the Valley, especially those who might not otherwise have access to it.  The rally was also a chance for business people to talk about why …

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An Independent View

How Everyone Can Benefit From PBS' New Set-Up

WLVT/ArtsQuest new model is good for artists, consumers and the economy.

PBS-39 has come up with an interesting change to their business model that may hold some lessons for how we think about public funding for the arts. The new PBS station at SteelStacks won't just create programming - it will also sell services to the public, and rent work space and equipment to businesses and filmmakers. Nicole Radzievich describes the changes in her recent piece on Pat Simon: The PBS39 Public Media and Education Center, the twin anchor with the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, includes two studios, six editing suites and satellite linkups on property that had been idle since the Bethlehem Steel Corp. plant shut down 16 years ago. PBS-39 will use the facility not only to produce its programming but also to sell its services…

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Get Out

Get Out: Five Things To Do This Weekend.

If Irene doesn’t rain on our parade, there’s a whole lot of fun goin’ on in the Lehigh Valley.

1. Zoo in Paradise CANCELLED Where/When: Lehigh Valley Zoo in Schnecksville; 6-10 p.m. Saturday. Why go: Parrotheads, penguins and music by Parrotbeach, the Jimmy Buffet Tribute Band. All proceeds benefit the zoo’s wildlife conservation efforts. How much: Admission, $10; food and beverages extra, including $5 margaritas and cheeseburgers. www.lvzoo.org.   2. Wheels of Time Rod & Custom Jamboree Where/When: Macungie Memorial Park; Friday through Sunday; Friday Night Cruise through Macungie area, 6:30 p.m. Friday. Why Go: More than 1,500 street rods and custom cars on display; Henry “The Fonz” Winkler meets, greets and signs autographs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday; car parts flea market, kids’ activities, monster trucks, live music and a dance …

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What's New at Musikfest 2011

Now in its 28th year, Musikfest, the biggest festival in the Lehigh Valley, has made a few changes.

Musikfest 2011 gets under way at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5 in historic downtown Bethlehem and its southside. This will be the largest and most ambitious festival in the 28-year history of the biggest and most ambitious annual festival in the Lehigh Valley. We are talking about more than 300 live performances on 15 stages in addition to a whole host of other activities. With all the talk of change coming with this festival, veteran fest-goers will find that plenty also remains familiar -- as this year's festival slogan says "The Song Remains ..." But a lot will be new. Here, we get you up to speed. Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave, you know that the biggest change is the shift of part of the festival to its new 9-acre SteelStacks campus, …

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