The Lehigh County borough of Emmaus will pull out all the stops to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday. The Emmaus America 250 celebration will run Friday through Sunday, transforming the borough’s downtown, historic sites, and parks into a tribute to the nation’s 250th birthday and the borough’s heritage.
The event will begin on Friday at 5 p.m. with an opening ceremony at the borough gateway near Emmaus Public Library. The ceremony will feature the unveiling of a new borough welcome sign, a public reading of the Declaration of Independence by girl and boy scouts, and a presentation by the Emmaus Veterans Committee.
At 6:30 p.m., the Main Street Cruisers will take the stage at the Emmaus Triangle with food vendors throughout downtown.
On Saturday, Emmaus will hold Heritage Day and Street Festival Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.. There will also be a street fair on Main Street between Second and Sixth streets. There will be craft vendors, food trucks, business booths, children’s attractions, and a Mopar Madness car show on Jubilee Street.
The Castaway Band
Concerts will be held in the parking lot next to Armetta’s. The Macungie Band will perform at 10 a.m., The Castaway Band at 1 p.m., and the Stacy Gabel Band at 4 p.m. There will be a DJ on the Triangle as well.
Emmaus Historical Society and Hendricks Auto at Main and Second streets will host living history demonstrations of blacksmithing, spinning, weaving, quilting, tape-weaving, pottery-making, woodworking, gunsmithing, candle-dripping, and colonial toy-making. There will be displays by Bethlehem, Nazareth, Lehigh County, and other historical societies.
Performing at the historical society will be Moravian Church Brass Band at 11 a.m. and Woodside Avenue from 1:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A free shuttle will travel to the library, Knauss Homestead, God’s Acre, Shelter House, and the 1803 House.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Knauss Homestead will offer guided tours, living history talks at noon and 3 p.m., and immersive Revolutionary-era experiences.
The Emmaus Area High School football field will be location of a rock concert by M80 Party Band at 7 p.m. and a drone and laser light show at 9 p.m.
On Sunday, there will be a celebration in Emmaus Community Park, starting with a community worship service at 9:30 a.m.
The park will feature food vendors, inflatables for kids, and a petting zoo from noon to 5 p.m.
There will entertainment by Kendall Conrad at noon, Reservoir Hill at 3 p.m., and Mahoney Brothers at 6 p.m.
The celebration will blend live music, historical reenactments, family fun, and community pride, making it one of the largest Emmaus events in years.
Lots on tap at PSF
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival will present a rarely done Shakespeare play, staging a children’s show that explores “Romeo and Juliet” and premiering a one-day performance by two regular festival performers.
PSF is doing Shakespeare’s little known “Coriolanus” through Aug. 2 in the Schubert Theatre at Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the DeSales University campus in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County. PSF will bring back “Shakespeare for Kids” through Aug. 1 on the main stage of Labuda Center and at area libraries, and PSF veterans John Ahlin and Christopher Patrick Mullen will perform their “Chip and Gus, a comedy with balls” on Sunday at Schubert Theatre.
“Coriolanus” will become the 33rd of Shakespeare’s 38 plays to be produced at the festival.
The play will be performed in the festival’s “extreme Shakespeare” style, with actors rehearsing the way it is believed Shakespeare’s company would have. Actors arrive with their lines learned, rehearse on their own without a director, raid the costume shop, and open in a matter of a few days.
Geoffrey Kent
Coriolanus, played by Geoffrey Kent, is a relentless warrior and a celebrated hero until his pride becomes his downfall. Once the people’s champion, he becomes their greatest threat when his contempt for the masses collides with the politics of power. Shakespeare’s tragedy asks ‘What happens when a hero believes he’s above those he serves?’
The cast features Akeem Davis, Sarah Gliko, John Hedges, Elliot Jones, Mark Thomas McKenna, Katrina Clark, David Pica, Susan Riley Stevens, Greg Wood, Michael Covel, Ian Higgins, Mariana Marcel, Joanna Marie, Isabella Marin, Christian Tuffy, Sophia Twohig, and Alice Zelenko.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and July 30 and 31; at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and July 29; at 2 p.m. Sunday and Aug. 1 and 2; and at 6:30 p.m. on July 28.
The audience can meet the actors for an informal discussion after the July 30 show.
“Epilogues,” a free discussion and a behind-the-scenes look at the show, will take place at 10 a.m. on Aug. It will allow audience members to gain deeper insight and ask questions.
“Shakespeare For Kids,” written by Erin Sheffield and directed by Matt Pfeiffer, is a high-energy one-hour production designed for children ages 4 to 10 to actively experience Shakespeare’s vibrant language and characters. Using a combination of songs, puppets, and scenes from William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” four performers (Tyler Borneo, Mariana Marcel, Joanna Marie, and Teddy Novak) give families the opportunity to introduce children to Shakespeare in a welcoming, kid-friendly environment.
There will be a relaxed performance on Aug. 1.
Again this year, “Shakespeare for Kids” will give free performances during a mini-tour at area libraries Friday through July 30.
The mini-tour will stop at 11 a.m. on Friday at Allentown Public Library, 1210 Hamilton St., Allentown; at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Lower Macungie Library, 3450 Brookside Rd., Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County; at 10 a.m. on Sunday at Quakertown Univest Park, 301 W. Mill St., Richland Township, Bucks County; at 10:30 a.m. on July 29 at Hellertown Library, 409 Constitution Ave., Hellertown, Northampton County; and at 10 a.m. on July 30 at Bucks County Free Library, 401 Mill St., Quakertown, Bucks County.
Performances at Labuda will be at 10 a.m. Thursday and July 28, 31, and Aug. 1.
“Chip and Gus, a comedy with balls” is a new original work created and performed by John Ahlin and Christopher Patrick Mullen.
Mullen plays Chip, and Ahlin plays Gus, oddball acquaintances who meet once a month to play ping-pong in the grungy back room of a sports bar in upstate New York, but this night is different.
As the balls and banter fly back and forth, they discover their lives intertwine in surprising ways. Gus, a flamboyantly stoic professor of philosophy, is a socially inept genius spouting wit and pedantry, and Chip, a goofy struggling music teacher and composer, whose life is hanging by a thread, are on a collision course. Their chemistry explodes in hilarious and heart-breaking revelations, swirling into a spectacular human symphony.
The show is a winner of a best overall award at the New York Fringe, and Mullen and Ahlin are taking it to the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland in August.
The performance will be at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Labuda Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of DeSales University, which is located at 2755 Station Ave. in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County.
India Heritage Day
Saara Arts will present the ninth annual India Heritage Day on Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Allentown Arts Park, which is located at 24-32 N. Fifth St.
The free event will be a vibrant celebration of culture, music, dance, and community.
Visitors can try flavors from Indian restaurants; hear music by a high-energy DJ; and enjoy arts workshops and henna artistry, live cultural performances, free Indian dance workshops. They can also visit vendors offering jewelry, fashion, and more.
The day will culminate with a exciting finale featuring a rhythm saree showcase.