For the 74th year, the Kutztown Folk Festival, the oldest continuously operated folklife festival in the country, will fill the Kutztown Fairgrounds with a wide variety of Pennsylvania German culture, from music and crafts to food and quilts, from Saturday through July 7.
Founded in 1950, the annual celebration features artists, musicians, craftsmen, quilters, entertainers, scholars and Dutch food favorites like funnel cake, apple dumplings, corn fritters, pot pie, shoofly pie, and an ox roast.
The festival was the winner in the 2024 USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice Travel Award contest for best cultural festival.
There will also be five stages of entertainment, a seminar stage, a children's petting zoo, an antique barn, the Lester Miller family dancers, authentic folklife demonstrations by traditional craftsmen, and the quilt barn, which houses approximately 1,500 traditional quilts that will be auctioned off at the annual quilt and barn star auction, being held on the main stage at noon on July 6.
Eric Claypoole, a second-generation folk artist who is native to Berks County; Patrick Donmoyer, the director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center; and Andrew Shirk paint the barn stars that are auctioned.
The Kutztown Folk Festival features more than 200 traditional craftsmen and folk artists from all over the world who demonstrate and explain the process involved with creating their items.. Many unique American crafts and folk art can be found at the festival.
For kids, the children's farmyard theater will present puppet shows, sing-alongs, story time, magic, a ventriloquist, and more. Kids can also enjoy craft and play areas.
A popular attraction is the children's petting zoo, where kids and adults can feed and pet tame farm animals. Traditional games are also featured along with a hay maze.
The festival will run daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tickets cost $16 at the gate and $13 when purchased online for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. A weekly pass costs $45.
Children age 12 and under are free.
Advance ticket purchases are recommended.
Parking is free.
'Alice in Bethlehem'
Touchstone Theatre will premiere "Alice in Bethlehem," an interactive, family-friendly show, at 5 p.m. on Saturday in the Bethlehem Rose Garden in west Bethlehem.
The free event is created and performed by the second-year Touchstone Theatre/Moravian University MFA students and helmed by ensemble member Matt Prideaux. Developed by the students over the past year, this original performance focuses on reimagining Lewis Carroll's stories and using the backdrop of the rose garden as a real-life wonderland.
In this immersive experience, audience members are invited on a guided tour through Wonderland, which does not quite go according to plan.
"We designed the show, from the ground up, with the Bethlehem Rose Garden in mind," Prideaux explained. "We wanted to bring art to people who might have never been to Touchstone before, and fill an already beautiful park with our own unique touch of magic. We hope that our audience leaves with a newfound appreciation for their neighborhood park, as well as a deeper love for the brilliant works of Lewis Carroll."
All the citizens of Wonderland have heard tales of the beautiful city of Bethlehem and that it just might be the best city in all of the world. So, they have decided to open up a portal to their world, in the Bethlehem Rose Garden, and invite guests in to learn about Wonderland.
The audience members are asked to take on the role of Alice as they enter into this wonderous new world and try to solve who stole the queen's tarts. They are also encouraged to share a little bit about themselves and their life in Bethlehem with the characters of Wonderland in a sort of cultural exchange. On this guided walking tour, audiences will celebrate an unbirthday party, participate in a caucus race, dance the Lobster Quadrille, and avoid the dreaded Jabberwocky.
Sturdy shoes, sunscreen, and bug repellent are encouraged.
Tickets are free, although donations are welcome.
'Moana Jr.' in Reading
Reading Community Players will present the area premiere of Disney's "Moana Jr." this weekend at Reading Area Community College's Miller Center for the Arts, which is located at 4 N. Second St. in Entertainment Square.
The production is a 60-minute musical adaptation of the 2016 Disney animated film, bringing the adventures of Moana and her village of Motunui to life onstage. "Moana Jr." features all the beloved songs from the film, written by Tony-, Grammy-, Emmy-, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i, and Mark Mancina, including "How Far I'll Go," "Shiny," and "You're Welcome."
This heartwarming coming-of-age story follows the strong-willed Moana as she sets sail across the Pacific to save her village and discover the truth about her heritage. Moana and the legendary demigod Maui embark on an epic journey of self-discovery and camaraderie as both learn to harness the power that lies within. With empowering messages of bravery and selflessness, Moana Jr. is sure to bring out the hero within each of us.
Celebrating the rich history of Oceania and based on the beliefs and cultures of the people of the Pacific Islands, Moana was developed in collaboration with an Oceanic Trust — a group of anthropologists, cultural practitioners, historians, linguists, and choreographers from the Pacific Islands.
Maddie Bender plays Moana and Logan Allen plays Maui. They are joined by a cast of more than 30.
Debbi Silas is director and choreographer.
Performances will be at 7 p.m. on Friday and at 3 and 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students.
Ringgold Band concert
The Ringgold Band will perform its annual concert honoring all military veterans at 5 p.m. on Sunday at Conrad Weiser Homestead, which is located at 28 Weiser Lane in Heidelberg Township, Berks County.
The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Conrad Weiser Homestead.
Veterans can stop by the registration table between 4:30 and 5 p.m. to register and receive an American flag compliments of the nonprofit to honor their service to the country. Admission and parking are free. Free-will donations will be accepted. The concert will be held on the front lawn of Weiser's home. A lawn chair or blanket is recommended. The rain date will be Aug. 4.
The homestead is a Pennsylvania historic site that interprets the life of Conrad Weiser, an 18th-century German immigrant who served as an Indian interpreter and who helped coordinate Pennsylvania's Indian policy. He played a major role in the history of colonial Pennsylvania.
The homestead is located on 26 acres of land near Womelsdorf. Seven buildings exist on the property; three are open for touring. Two large monuments, a gazebo, the Weiser family cemetery, and a pond are also on the site. Two picnic areas are present in the western section of the park and can be used at any time without reservation.
Endless summer
Nothing says summer like The Beach Boys, and the hit band will play on June 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the State Theatre in Easton.
The Beach Boys are led by singer and critically acclaimed chief lyricist Mike Love, who, along with longtime member Bruce Johnston, musical director Brian Eichenberger, Christian Love, Tim Bonhomme, Jon Bolton, Keith Hubacher, Randy Leago, and John Wedemeyer continue the legacy of the iconic band.
For more than six decades, The Beach Boys' music has been an indelible part of American history. Their harmonies conveyed simple truths through sophisticated, pioneering musical arrangements. The Beach Boys transcended their music and have come to represent Californian culture. They provided fans around the world with a passport to experience love, youthful exuberance, and surf culture. Founded in Hawthorne, California, in 1961, The Beach Boys were originally comprised of the three teenage Wilson brothers: Brian, Carl, and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and school friend Al Jardine.
The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, selling more than 100 million records worldwide. Between the 1960s and today, the group has had more than 80 songs chart worldwide, 36 of them in the U.S. Top 40 (the most by a U.S. rock band), and four topping the Billboard Hot 100. Their influence on other artists spans musical genres and movements. Countless artists have cited Pet Sounds as their inspiration for creating their own musical masterpieces. Rolling Stone ranked Pet Sounds No. 2 on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time," and The Beach Boys No. 12 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."
They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and received the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.
Tickets cost $65 to $95.
Fab Faux
Beatles tribute band The Fab Faux will appear at the State Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on June 28.
The concert will also feature The Hogshead Horns and The Creme Tangerine Strings.
With a commitment to the accurate reproduction of The Beatles' repertoire, The Fab Faux treat the seminal music with unwavering respect and are known for their painstaking recreations of the songs (with emphasis on the later works never performed live by the Beatles). The band plays the music of The Beatles so impeccably that one must experience it to believe it. Imagine hearing complex material like "Strawberry Fields Forever" or "I Am the Walrus" performed in complete part-perfect renditions; or such harmony-driven songs as "Because," "Nowhere Man," and "Paperback Writer," reproduced not only note- for-note, but with extra vocalists to achieve a double-tracked effect.
The musical virtuosity of The Fab Faux — in actuality, five of the hardest working musicians in New York City — completely up-ends the concept of a Beatles tribute band. Far beyond being extended sets of cover versions, its shows are an inspired re-discovery of the Beatles' musical magic, as The Fab Faux tackles the group's most demanding material live onstage. The Fab Faux is also famous for blurring the lines slightly and injecting its own musical personalities into the performances.
Tickets cost $59 to $85.
Red Hot Mama
From serving up jokes with a side of blintzes in a Hartford Jewish deli to performing for adoring crowds at Broadway's Palace Theater in seven short years, the unexpected rise of Sophie Tucker to the rank of comic superstar is the subject of the new world premiere musical "Last of the Red Hot Mamas," making its debut at Bucks County Playhouse, which is located at 70 S. Main St. in New Hope.
"Last of the Red Hot Mamas" is the 11th world premiere production at the New Hope theater since it reopened in 2012 and is part of playhouse's commitment to developing new work.
"The big surprise for me was seeing how Sophie Tucker's wild, racy and very funny take on life changed show business forever," said Alexander Fraser, producing director. "Sophie Tucker made the world accept her for who she was... a full-figured Jewish girl with a voice as loud as a steam whistle. We're proud to help shed light how she paved the way for all those to follow who felt like they didn't fit in."
In 1973, while they were students at Ithaca College, Susan Denner and Lloyd Ecker went to a Bette Midler concert. Midler's 'Soph' jokes piqued their curiosity about their origin — vaudeville performer Sophie Tucker — leading the duo to publish a fictional memoir, "I Am Sophie Tucker," and create a well-regarded documentary, "The Outrageous Sophie Tucker." A musical is the next step in the Eckers' 50-plus year fascination with the saucy, sassy comedienne . To bring their dream to life, they joined forces with Shea Sullivan, who directs and choreographs; and award-winning playwright, Harrison David Rivers.
Before Mae West, Bette Midler or Queen Latifah, there was Sophie Tucker. With the help of two former Harlem headliners, Tucker rose from the deli counter to become a full-fledged star in her own right. Tucker was known for performing songs, including "After You're Gone," "There'll Be Some Changes Made," and "Some of These Days." The musical will feature these songs, along with other classics of their time delivered with lots of tap dancing, and a big dose of Sophi's groundbreaking, sassy humor.
Ryann Redmond (Broadway's first female Olaf in Disney's "Frozen" and most recently "Once Upon a One More Time") will perform the role of Sophie Tucker alongside Rheaume Crenshaw as Mollie Elkins; DeWitt Fleming Jr. as Bojangles Robinson and Stephanie Gibson as Nora Bayes.
The show will be presented through July 27. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with 1:30 p.m. matinees on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tickets start at $39. Patrons are invited to a special pay-what-you-can preview performance on Friday. The suggested minimum is $10.
