For anyone looking for a way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, activities are planned all over Berks County and the Lehigh Valley.
Every year, the Allentown Art Museum hosts a day of free, all-ages activities in celebration of the life and legacy of the civil rights icon. This year, the museum’s MLK Jr. Day 2026 will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday.
There will be family-friendly art-making in the Crayola Classroom on the museum’s second floor until 4 p.m.
There will also be music, including a performance by the Joyful Voices Community Choir at 11:30 a.m. in the museum lounge, and performances on the hour from noon to 4 p.m. in the Trexler Gallery.
Children can enjoy all-ages storytelling at 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30 p.m. in the Rodale Classroom.
Taste Smokers will cater a luncheon from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Community Gallery with a musical performance by Bev Conklin. Lunch will be followed by a closing performance at 3 p.m.
Museum admission is always free, and free parking will be available in the museum’s lot at North Fifth and Linden streets.
MLK Jr. Day of Service in Reading, Shillington
The community is invited to take part in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at the greenhouse in Reading City Park from 10 a.m. until noon on Monday.
The event will be focused on planting, learning, and community growth. Participants will work together to plant seeds for future use in community gardens and engage in hands-on service that reflects King’s vision of unity, service, and positive change.
The Day of Service is being hosted by Reading’s Department of Public Works in collaboration with Keep Reading Beautiful, Widoktadwen Center for Native Knowledge, the 18th Wonder Improvement Association, and Penn State Extension Master Gardeners.
The city greenhouse is located at Constitution Boulevard and Rose Garden Drive.
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Also, the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks, in partnership with Immanuel United Church of Christ, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Berks County, and Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom, will host the 2025 MLK Youth Day of Service on Monday from 10 a.m. until noon at Immanuel U.C.C., which is located at 99 S. Waverly St. in Shillington.
Families with children 5 and older will assemble food power packs for distribution to Governor Mifflin School District students, make hundreds of sandwiches for distribution at New Journey Community Outreach, and create no-sew blankets.
Registration is recommended by emailing info@jfreading.org.
MLK Jr. event in Bethlehem
Second Baptist Church in Bethlehem will continue its long-standing tradition of celebrating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday.
The church has partnered with Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem Area Moravians, the Moravian University School of Theology, and Bethlehem Interfaith Group to create a community-wide celebration in Foy Hall on Moravian’s campus.
Between 2 and 3 p.m., young members of Second Baptist’s congregation will portray historical figures, including King, Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks.
At 3 p.m., presentations celebrating King’s interfaith legacy will feature speakers from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions sharing their insights. There will be a performance presenting King’s oratory as well as music and dance performances.
Foy Hall is located at 342 Main St. in Bethlehem.
The event is free and open to the public.
MLK Jr. luncheon
Moravian University’s The Center for Inclusive Excellence will present its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lunch from 12:15 to 2 p.m. on Monday at 1125 Monocacy St. in Bethlehem.
The lunch features the theme “American Patriotism: Faith and Freedom from Truth to King,” and a keynote speech exploring how Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Luther King Jr. embodied the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution through lives that defined faith, freedom, and justice as the truest forms of American patriotism.
Tickets are $14.99.
For tickets, go to moravian.crowdchange.co/53630.
Musical premieres at Pines
Michael Covell
Pines Dinner Theatre will begin the new year with the area premiere of “I Love You Because,” a musical love story inspired by Jane Austen, from Jan. 17 to Feb. 28 at the Shops at Cedar Point in Allentown.
“I Love You Because” is a modern-day reimagining of Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” set against the backdrop of bustling New York City.
The musical follows Austin Bennet, played by Michael Covel, an uptight, rule-bound greeting card writer whose world is upended when he meets Marcy Fitzwilliams, played by Lisa Sims, a free-spirited photographer with a mind of her own. As their unlikely romance unfolds, mirroring the sparks and clashes of Austen’s beloved characters, they navigate love, misunderstandings, and the meddling of Austin’s brother and their eccentric friends.
The cast also features Edward Mountz, Lydia Walker, Ryan Domalewski, and Mandi Marko.
With humor and heart, “I Love You Because” celebrates the idea that true love isn’t about perfection, but about embracing each other’s flaws, because of, not in spite of, them.
“I Love You Because” features book and lyrics by Ryan Cunningham and music by Joshua Salzman.
Cunningham and Salzman first met at New York University, where they were in the graduate program for musical theater writing, and where they began writing the songs that became “I Love You Because.”
The show was first performed off-Broadway in 2006 at the Village Theater, where it was was a part of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival of New Musicals.
Cunningham and Salzman were awarded the Jonathan Larson Award and were selected for the ASCAP Workshop with Stephen Schwartz. Salzam also won the American Musical Theatre Project Writers Residency Award and the ASCAP Frederick Loewe Award.
Direction is by Pines co-owner Oliver Blatt.
Food is not included in the ticket price, but it is available a la carte for an additional cost.
Performances will be 6 p.m., dinner; 7:30 p.m., show Fridays; noon, dinner; 1:30 p.m., show; 6 p.m., dinner; 7:30 p.m., show Saturdays; and noon, dinner; 1:30 p.m., show Sundays.
Open Mic at Genesius
Genesius Theatre, located at 153 N. 10th St. in Reading, invites performers to take the stage for a Walnut Street Session, an open mic, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
The open mic night celebrates music, community, and the joy of performing. Participants can supply their own instrument or sheet music and a pianist will accompany them on any song they choose. Whether it’s a song they’ve always dreamed of performing or one they simply love, this is their moment to step into the spotlight in a supportive, creative space.
The evening will also include a celebration of an exciting milestone, as Genesius announces its 55th season.
Guests can expect a relaxed, welcoming night full of music, surprises, and shared moments on stage.
Tickets are pay-what-you-will at the door. They can also be reserved online in advance with a $20 minimum.
Genesius Theatre has a private parking lot, with limited handicap-accessible parking spaces.
Jazz Upstairs
The Frank DiBussolo Trio will present “The Bucky Pizzarelli Legacy” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday as part of Miller Symphony Hall’s Jazz Upstairs series.
Guests can enjoy masterful jazz guitar in a cozy cabaret style setting and experience a heartfelt tribute to the legendary jazz man in an evening of timeless jazz artistry.
John Paul “Bucky” Pizzarelli was an award-winning jazz guitarist, originally from New Jersey, who died in 2020.
Over his long career, he worked with many musicians, including Benny Goodman, George Barnes, Les Paul, Oscar Peterson, Stéphane Grappelli, Benny Green, and Antônio Carlos Jobim.
Tickets cost $30 in advance and $35 at the door.
Jazz Upstairs will take place in the Rodale Community Room on the third floor of Miller Symphony Hall, which is located at 23 N. Sixth St. in Allentown. General admission seats are at cabaret-style tables. A cash bar will be available, and concession items can be purchased.
Spotlight Cabaret returns
Star of the Day Event Productions, in partnership with Between the Lines Studio Theatre, will present “Live and Let Die: The James Bond Cabaret,” showcasing music from the cinematic 007 vault, at 7 p.m. Jan. 30 and 31 and at 3 p.m. on Feb. 1 at Between the Lines, which is located at 725 N. 15th St. in Allentown.
Performances of the hit songs of the James Bond movies will feature Benjamin Ruth, Safran Astra, Hannah Zarate, Kirsten Almeida, Wendy Borst, Courtney Chew, Nate Lawall, and Alyssa Steiner.
Some of the top voices from the Lehigh Valley will sing the Bond themes throughout the decades, like “Live and Let Die,” “Thunderball,” “Skyfall,” and “Diamonds are Forever.”
The cabaret will be accompanied by a piano player.
All tickets cost $20
Outside food and drink are prohibited, but patrons 21 and older may take their own adult beverage.