Music

A show about vampires and a haunted magic show, just in time for Halloween, have been announced for October presentations at Easton's State Theatre. Also announced for October are shows focused on a popular children's character and a tribute to two iconic piano men.

The festival is now in its 16th year and will feature close to 20 blues acts, including Nikki Hill, Ghost Town Blues Band, Craig Thatcher Band and Dustin Douglas.

Bob Mould, who was guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the influential band Hüsker Dü in the 1980s, will perform at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

The City of Allentown held a Juneteenth Block Party celebration at Center Square on Tuesday, commemorating the last bastion of slavery in the U.S. in 1865.

ArtsQuest has announced a lineup of 15 shows at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem, starting after Musikfest and continuing into February.

On Wednesday, June 19, DJ Prince Hakim (nee Hakim Bell) will be the musical entertainment from 2-8 p.m. for Allentown's downtown Juneteenth block party along Hamilton Street.

Dozens of vendors, musicians, and historians came together at SteelStacks in Bethlehem on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth by exploring culture and history.

Jefferson Starship will play at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at Penn's Peak in Penn Forest Township. Tickets, at $28-$33, remain available at the Penn's Peak website.

With help of sponsors D.G. Yuengling & Sons and Bazella Works, all men and women now serving in any branch of the military, all veterans and immediate family of those killed in action, are eligible to get tickets to a variety of events, ArtsQuest said.

North Whitehall Township has added several new events to its recreation calendar this summer, including a food truck festival, a back-to-school party and a community concert.

All-female band Plush stops at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 6, at Maingate Nightclub in Allentown as part of its first headline tour. Tickets are available at www.ticketweb.com.

The sale, which will be offered in person only, will be noon to 1 p.m. for ArtsQuest Circle donors and ArtsQuest members. It will open to the general public from 2-5 p.m.

Visitors can sample a wide variety of local craft brews while enjoying barbecue and a Grateful Dead tribute band this 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 1. Samples are included in ticket prices: $40 in advance; $45 at the entrance.

"The Play That Goes Wrong," will begin on Wednesday, May 29 through June 16 as part of Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University. The season also includes productions of "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "Winnie the Pooh and Friends," and "The Color Purple."

Godfrey Daniels, the venerable folk music club in South Bethlehem, will offer its first headline comedy show in its 48-year history at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 30, according to organizers of the just-announced show.

The Jeff Parks Founders Society was inaugurated last week with a ribbon-cutting for a permanent display on the exterior of the ArtsQuest Center, to the right of the entrance, that will honor Parks and donors by creating a collage around the current year’s official Musikfest poster.

MayFair Festival of the Arts is Friday through Sunday and will feature performances by 17 musicians, as well as arts and crafts activities for kids.

It's a rite of summer. Three styles of Musikfest mugs, illustrated by local artist Lauren Beck, are now on sale online and at three locations in Bethlehem.

Band of Horses, best known for its double-platinum 2006 hit "The Funeral," and City and Colour, known for its 2015 Adult Alternative chart hits "Wasted Love" and "Lover Come Back," will perform Sunday, Sept. 8.

Better Than Ezra, which had the No. 1 Modern Rock single “Good,” and the Top 5 Modern Rock hit “In the Blood” from its 1993 debut album “Deluxe,” will join the show Friday, Aug. 2, on Musikfest’s main stage

J&J Demolition Derby, a Labor Day mainstay at Allentown Fairgrounds, will return to the fair for its closing-night grandstand entertainment offering on Sept. 2.

Blippi, whose energetic and educational antics have made him a global sensation, will bring his live show Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour to the fair on Aug. 29.