BETHLEHEM, Pa. — What do you call a weekend that starts with trivia night, then offers a day of wine and craft beer tastings, and ends with a celebration of learning and fun just for the kids?
It's the Star of Bethlehem Festival for Kids, of course, or, as festival President George Sobetsky puts it, "the best festival nobody knows about."
But seriously, folks, in its 18th year, the mid-May weekend of festivities will happen Friday through Sunday, May 16-18, at Earl E. Schaffer Municipal Ice Rink on Illick's Mill Road in Bethlehem.
"It was a very nice event, and then it kind of went away."Star of Bethlehem Festival President George Sobetsky
Why this festival?
Sobetsky fondly recalls taking his sons to something similar, years ago.
"Bethlehem used to have the Rose Garden Children's Festival," he said. It was a two-day event that began in 1989, geared for just kids, with giant bubble-making, pet show-and-tell, folksinger Dave Fry and a slew of things to do and enjoy.
"It was a very nice event, and then it kind of went away," Sobetsky said.
Nudged by numerous folks, "mostly my wife," Sobetsky said he put his efforts into producing his own child-focused crowd-pleaser.
Experience at the helm
Why Sobestsky?
He knows a thing or two about producing large events. For 38 years, he has volunteered running Musikfest's main stage as the site supervisor.
"The number one thing about George is that he loves Bethlehem and he loves to stay busy," said ArtsQuest Volunteer Program Manager Cory Stevens, who has known Sobetsky since 2018.
"His passion and dedication at Musikfest has to go somewhere else the rest of the year, so it makes a ton of sense to me that he’s kept the Star of Bethlehem Festival going for so long.
"George isn’t in it for himself — he’s always considering what’s best for the other volunteers, the vendors, the guests.
"Folks attending the Star of Bethlehem Festival weekend can expect the best beer, the best food, and a great atmosphere to have some fun with the whole family.
"I think it’s an amazing success story of someone bottling a bit of the Musikfest magic and making it their own to share with even more people.
"George is a guy who wants to build and share, and I consider him a pillar of the community because of that."
Funding — and a name
Throughout the year, proceeds from area bingo nights, dine-and-donate events and other fundraisers are put toward the Star of Bethlehem children's festival costs.
Financially, the first year was a learning experience. It was difficult to raise funds, so at the time, Sobetsky said it was decided that a wine-tasting would take place.
"It was the first in the area," he said. "We made some money to put toward the craft beer tasting and added that to it seven or eight years ago."
"They're good friends, and it's nice for the food trucks, because they can drop their prices a little so it's affordable for families."Festival founder George Sobetsky
With alcohol at events, there must come food, he said, so expect food trucks, such as Heaven On A Bun, which has attended the festival faithfully, and another yet-undecided truck.
"They're good friends, and it's nice for the food trucks, because they can drop their prices a little so it's affordable for families," Sobetsky said.
"Everything we do, all the money, goes toward the festival."
Sobetsky said he was trying to come up with a name for it, and spotted the familiar giant lit star on South Mountain through some trees from where he was sitting.
A big white tent sheltered the rain-or-shine event on the parking lot across from The Wooden Match since year one.
"We don't let any rain interrupt the kids," he said.
New digs for rain-or-shine weekend
This year, however, when the Earl E. Shaffer Bethlehem Municipal Ice Rink became available, after the popular and highly profitable, long-running Boutique at the Rink changed venues, Sobetsky grabbed it.
"There's plenty of parking right there," he said.
Along with the outside food trucks, vendors and nonprofits line up inside the rink. WZZO DJ Joel Shimer will spin the tunes.
As it has in the past, Lehigh Valley Zoo will surprise with a familiar four-legged (probably) celebrity, a plan still in the works.
Trivia night will be Friday. Christmas City Wine Festival will be Saturday afternoon, followed that evening by the Star Bar Craft Beer Tasting, featuring more than 40 varieties.
All proceeds go toward producing the festival. Tickets are $20
"It's a blast, trust me."George Sobetsky
Then on Sunday, it's all about the kids. Sobetsky said everyone is welcome, though the festival tends to cater to children in grades kindergarten through fifth grade.
"It's a blast, trust me," Sobetsky said. "There's painting, modeling clay, science experiments, performing arts, music, lots to do.
"It's educational. We wanted the kids to learn but not realize it, outside of a school setting."
New Jersey pop, rock, alternative and blues singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordanwill perform, and if you're a Musikfest fan, you might have heard her bandmates from Lindsey Jordan & the Gypsies back up her smooth vocals.
Jordan has opened for Johnny Rzeznick of The Goo Goo Dolls, which kickstarted her career in original music in 2021.
'Have a fabulous time'
“George is amazing and I have been working with him for 26 years,” said Ray Neeb, senior vice president operations at ArtsQuest, the organization that presents Musikfest.
“He has been a mainstay at our ticketed concert venue ever since. George has been instrumental in several designs for the Main Stages through the years, including our current Wind Creek Steel Stage.
"You can count on George to make sure everything is in place and ready for the first headliner concert.”
It's an all-in-one weekend that party planner Sobetsky said he hopes will be well-attended at its new venue.
"There's lots of parking, too, right there, so, we're going to give this a shot," he said.
Neeb said, “George has done a great job creating his own events through his organization Star of Bethlehem Festival.
"He creates a fun weekend of different events using our same infrastructure. Many of our staff and volunteers assist him on his events and have a fabulous time.”
Volunteers still are needed to help pour craft beer and do other fun stuff. Call Dee Sobetsky at 610-462-8524 or visit the festival websitefor more information.
