Lehigh Valley InSite

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By Gregg Marzano

This past weekend as most of the Lehigh Valley was busy celebrating Mother’s day with brunch reservations, theater tickets and spa treatments, I gathered up three special ladies and headed to Stabler Arena for Pro Gymnastics Challenge.

Can you tell me how to get to…Sesame Street Live?

Accompanied by two 3-year-olds and a good friend, I paid my first visit to the Stabler Arena on Lehigh University’s campus in Bethlehem to see Big Bird, Elmo, Super Grover and the rest of the Sesame Street cast perform in a 90 minute live show.

A Lehigh Valley Christmas

“New York may have the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, but Lehigh Valley has the annual A Lehigh Valley Christmas in Concert. The best part of this show is that it’s all home grown musicians assembled to officially begin the holiday season in Lehigh Valley.

I’ve been honored to be part of this show for nearly a decade now and to share the stage with the incredibly gifted Lehigh Valley musicians who deliver such a wide-range of diverse holiday music. Everyone needs to see this show at least one time!”

Otters at the Lehigh Valley Zoo

The first question friends and family had when I told them that we were taking the kids to the Lehigh Valley Zoo was, “Where?”

Now, I’m making sure they all know about one of the valley’s truly hidden treasures.

Experiencing Crayola

Forget everything your mother told you about writing on the walls.

Unless, of course, Mom was one of those free-spirited types who didn’t worry about your wax-based artwork covering each inch of her home.

Boston at Musikfest 2012

They say that songs and scents are among the most powerful ways to conjure reminiscence. Sunday night’s Boston concert at Sands SteelStacks did just that for me. Sitting there among the packed audience under the stars on that sultry summer night, with the smell of Musikfest goodies and beer wafting into my nostrils and Boston belting out their songs just as they did in 1977, sent me right back to high school.

The group members juxtaposed old and new as several new additions complemented some original artists, but the sounds were authentic and the energy outstanding.

Janes Addiction

I was so stoked to hear that our bosses scored a party deck for the Band of Skulls and Jane’s Addiction show at Musikfest 2012. They treated the whole 4O1! team, and they even got us mugs! While everyone was pretty excited to see Jane’s Addiction, I think I was a little more excited to see Band of Skulls.

The crew met up a little early and headed down to The Steel Pub for mug refills, then we headed into the Sands Steel Stage area for the obligatory Aw Shucks corn and to scope out band merch.

Goo Goo Dolls @ Musikfest 2012

It was a comfortable 77 degrees and the perfect night to attend a show at Musikfest’s premier venue, the Sands Steel Stage. Although I only knew a few songs off of the bands nine albums, I was still excited to see one of the fests’ main acts, the Goo Goo Dolls. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a press pass so I could shoot some rock images from the pit which added to my excitement.

Even though the band wasn’t at the forefront of my mind, they still nearly packed the house, and at the opening of the set a flock of adoring fans rushed the stage to get a better view.

Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp

Last week I took my annual visit to Lehigh University to check out Philadelphia Eagles’ training camp which runs through August 14. This year I brought along my uncle, Hank, and his life-long friend, Roy, who are owners in our fantasy football league. I tied our trip to training camp and a much deserved lunch at P.J. Whelihan’s, as their reward for helping me with a furniture move.

The food and atmosphere at P.J.’s was as good as advertised. Cold beer, juicy burgers and more TV’s than you can count, helped bide our time till the afternoon training camp session started.  The team has switched practice programs this summer to include shorts and pads in their morning sessions; and full pads and contact in the afternoon session during the heat of the day. I assume this will help with those late summer games with 4 o’clock start times.

IronPigs Christmas

By Jillian Bevacqua, Blogger

Before last week, I’d never sat in the stands at the Lehigh Valley’s Coca Cola Park. I’d only been on the field.

My four years at Muhlenberg College brought me to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs’ home stadium every year for the Walk to Defeat ALS, where my friends and I circled the parking lots, stadium and even paced through the outfield. When given the opportunity last week to attend an actual Iron Pigs game, I jumped at the chance to see the stadium in it’s full, Triple-A team glory.