Lehigh Valley Live: Stuff Your Pie Hole

May 13th, 2016 | Home

May 11, 2016 | In The News

Written by Sara K. Satullo for Lehigh Valley Live

Whiskey, wine and flicks

There’s lots to do as part of the Christmas City Wine Festival the weekend of May 13. Friday night sample whiskey and craft brews, enjoy wine and mead on Saturday and wrap up the weekend with a summer movie experience.
When: Star Bar Whiskey and Craft Beer Festival, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.,  Friday, May 13, McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar. Hosted by Yards Brewing Company and Allentown Beverage, featuring more than 50 craft beers for sampling.
Cost: Must be 21 to enter. Beer tickets: $25. Whiskey tickets: $30. Advance sale tickets for both tastings: $50.
When: Christmas City Wine Festival, 1p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, May 14. Daniel E. Rice Plaza, 100 W. Lehigh St., Bethlehem.
Cost: Must be 21 to enter. Advance tickets: $15. At-the-door: $20.
When: Star Screen Movie Nite, 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Sunday May 15. Watch “Kingsman: The Secret Service” under the tent.
Cost: Must be 21 to enter. $5 admission.

The Italians wanted in on the festival action. Over Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, Italian heritage will be celebrated on Main Street and in the Sun Inn Courtyard.

When: May 27, 5-10 p.m. May 28, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Cost: Free but to sample all of Italy’s culinary offerings you’re going to need a wine or food trail passport. The tickets are on sale here. A wine passport costs $32.64. A food passport costs $16.82.

Smoke a cigar with Emeril

The Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival is entering its seventh year and is now a weekend-long party. The festival is hosted by Northampton Community College and Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem to highlight the region’s dining scene while raising money for NCC’s foundation and giving students hand’s on experiences.
When: Friday, June 3. Cooking demo 2-3:30 p.m. Tickets required. 6-9:30 p.m. Sponsor gala reception and dinner. Invitation only. Saturday, June 4, and Sunday, June 5, 12 – 4 p.m. Tickets required.
Cost: Cooking demo with chef Emeril Lagasse: $75. Grand tasting tickets, include the champagne and spirits tasting room and the cigar bar: $85 a day. Buy tickets here.

Enjoy the sunshine

Do you know what geocaching is? Want to see dog’s performing tricks in a 40-foot pool of water? Get your family outside during June’s free Step Outdoors Lehigh Valley community festival presented by Lehigh Valley Zoo. The family-friendly event allows kids and adults to learn about wildlife, outdoors and conservation groups in the region through hands-on activities.

When: 10 – 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, and 10 – 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 5 at SteelStacks. Full schedule here.

Cost: Free, unless you want to join Friday night’s Taste of the Wild culinary experience where you can sample game and fish inspire hors d’oeuvres while hanging with animals from the Lehigh Valley Zoo. Tickets: $38 ArtsQuest members/ $40 general public.

When: Tuesday, June 14 through Saturday, June 18.

Cost: All access pass: $50/ $40 students/seniors. Opening night and movie: $10. Sinclair and Victory Firehouse screenings: $5. Broughal screenings: $10. Closing night party: $10. Buy here.

When: Saturday June 11. 11:45 a.m. for VIP ticket holders. 1 p.m. for regular ticket holders.

Cost: VIP tickets are $75. General admission: $40. Designated driver $10.

¡Sabor! Latin Festival includes free concerts, Latin dance shows and even a mariachi mass.

When: Friday, June 17 through Sunday, June 19. Full schedule here.

Stuff your piehole

Each July, Historic Bethlehem Museum & Sites hosts its blueberry festival at Burnside Plantation, 1499 Schoenersville Rd.. This year marks the 30th year of the festival. Think you have eating skills? Enter the pie eating contest and test your mettle. You can also see how your pie recipe stacks up against the rest of the Valley in the cooking contest. It wouldn’t be a Bethlehem festival without a tasting tent: hit the blueberry brewery tent for wine, mead and beer.

When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, July 16 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, July 17.

Cost: General admission: Adults $10. Children 4-12: $5. Festival/brewery combo pass:$20. Buy tickets here.

Musikfest is the festival that began them all. The 10-day free music festival fills Bethlehem with more than 1 million people annually. So, grab your mug, put on some comfortable shoes and get ready to eat, and, of course, polka.

When: Friday, August 5, to Sunday, August 14.

Cost: Free, except for the headliner show each night. Schedule here.

Get your green on

 

Bethlehem’s Vegfest is a street and food festival that draws 10,000 people to the South Bethlehem Greenway annually. The vegan and sustainable life festival brings together vegan food providers, national speakers and educational exhibits. There’s something for the longtime vegan and the omnivore looking to eat a bit healthier.

When: Saturday, Aug. 20, 11 – 6 p.m.

Kilts and beers

If you like haggis and watching men in kilts throw things, then you’re sure to love the 29th annual Celtic Classic Highland Games and Festival

When: 4 p.m. – 11 p.m., Friday, September 24, 9:30 a.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday September 25, and 9:30 a.m. – 6p.m., Sunday, September 25. Full schedule here.

Cost: Free

Ushering in fall

It doesn’t get any better than soup, wine and beer on a crisp fall day. Harvest Fest on Main Street includes individual tasting passports where you can sample one or all three.

When: Scheduled for Saturday, October 8.

Cost: 2016 prices haven’t been released yet but in 2015 a beer passport cost $20, wine $15 and soup $10.

Brats and beers

ArtsQuest embraces German heritage during the beginning of October with its free Oktoberfest celebration.The festival struggled to find its niche the first few years but seems to have hit its stride. The dachshund wiener dog races and the Craft Brewers’ Village are both a big draw.

When: The 2016 dates have not yet been announced but it is usually held the first two weeks in October.

Cost: Free but tickets are needed for the beer tasting.

Sue Beyer | For lehighvalleylive.com

Running shoes needed

The Runner’s World half and festival is by far the healthiest of Bethlehem’s festivals. The Emmaus-based magazine organizes a 3.8 mile trail run Friday, a 5K, 10K and dog race on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday.

Some folks are crazy enough to run all three road races — known as the hat trick — or all of the races — known as the grand slam. Runners attend seminars with big names in the running world and have a chance to eat dinner with the magazine’s editors. The race courses travel throughout the city and the finish line is at the foot of the iconic blast furnaces.

When: Friday, October 14 through Sunday October 16.

Cost:$35-$140 depending on the races.

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