Lehigh Valley InSite

This Freddy is one of a kind

Last weekend I went to Brooklyn to see my sister Elizabeth perform in an Off Broadway production of Mel Brook’s "The Producers." I was excited to see her on stage, since she is a theater/education major at Wagner University - and before that, she spent four years in Whitehall High School's theater program.

As I read through the playbill, I realized something: Elizabeth was the only performer that had the opportunity to participate in a high school musical award show. The award show I am referring to is the Freddy Awards. Over the years, she was nominated for her roles in Whitehall's productions of "Over Here" and "Barnum."

According to my cousin, who performed in the Broadway production of "Sugar Babies" and teaches dance, the Freddys are very unique in the world of high school musicals. She was amazed when she saw the opportunity these students had to perform on a stage like the State Theatre.

The Freddys have also created rivalries between schools and has elevated the high school musical scene to the same level as local high school athletics. Every year these student actors put in more time, build bigger sets, and design more creative costumes.

This year marks the 7th year of the Freddy Awards, which are held at State Theatre in Easton, and there are a record 29 local high schools competing. Right now, the schools are in the middle of their performing seasons, which leads up to the Emmy-award-winning award show on May 21st.

Are you familiar with the Freddys?

A Middle-Eastern Last Supper

Last week my girlfriend Jeanne and I went out for some Middle-Eastern cuisine at the Aladdin Restaurant in Allentown. We arrived with a bottle of champagne, since it's BYOB, and an empty stomach, and ended up being full for the entire next day!

We started off by splitting the Special Maza, an appetizer that was actually 12 appetizers in one. For $27.95, we received:
1. Hummus
2. Baba ganoush
3. Tabbouleh
4. Feta
5. Olives
6. Semboske - bread stuffed with spinach, onions and spices
7. Grape Leaves
8. Kebbee
9. Spinach Pie
10. Arnabit - deep-fried cauliflower topped with tahini sauce
11. Kusa - lightly fried zucchini and topped with lemon juice, parsley and lots of garlic
12. Falafel

In addition to the 12 appetizers, we split a Vegetable Shish Kabob entree and had as much fresh baked pita bread as we wanted. We each got a side of rice, which was excellent with a nice tomato-based onion sauce on top, and a Greek salad to boot!I am normally not one for iceburg lettuce but their dressing, a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, really makes it. Jeanne managed to take home a piece of Baklava for the road. Unfortunately, I had to pass that up, but I have had it before and it is great.

The service was great. Our waitress was one of the owner's daughters. She was very pleasant and answered all of our questions about our selections.

We will definitely be going back for another meal at Aladdin. Maybe next time we will go on a Saturday night for the belly dancers! 

What's your favorite dish at Aladdin?

Explore Lehigh Valley on a budget: Part 2

Last week I shared with everyone the first half of my new list of free or low fee (less than $5 per person) attractions and events in Lehigh Valley. As promised, here is the second half of my list.

Trails and Tours:
• Request a free brochure for the Two Rivers Area Birding and Natural History Trail and discover Northampton County's bird, flora and fauna.
• Discover the 22 historic log cabins of the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail (pictured).
• Request a free brochure for the Covered Bridges of the Lehigh Valley tour that includes driving directions to all seven bridges.

Music:
• Bach Choir of Bethlehem – Free "Bach at Noon" concerts are held the second Tuesday of each month in spring and fall at Central Moravian Church. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.
• Tunes at Twilight – Free concerts are held in the historic 1758 Moravian Sun Inn courtyard on Thursday evenings in May and June from 6 – 8 p.m.
• Allentown Band – Bring a folding chair or blanket and listen to a free concert by this historic band in the picturesque West Park of Allentown.

Festivals:
• Musikfest each August and Celtic Classic each September; free admission to both.
• Heritage Day each July and Garlic Fest each October; free admission to both.

Miscellaneous:
• First Friday on Bethlehem’s Southside - A monthly celebration of arts and culture with shops, galleries, live music, in-store specials, and refreshments.

Keep in mind, this isn't intended to be a comprehensive list of all things free in the Valley. That's where you come in. What things do you like to do in the region that are free and didn't make my list?

Explore Bethlehem on a segway

I know walking is good for your health and all, but I'd rather not do it when I go sightseeing in (a lot of walking leaves me with sore ankles for days). And being a country girl, it's too much work to maneuver through city traffic, watch for pedestrians and take in the sights. Therefore, the best way for me to sightsee in a city is on a segway.

Last year, I took a segway tour of Bethlehem via Segway of the Lehigh Valley (SLV). I had never ridden a segway before, but that wasn't a problem; before heading out on the streets, I watched a safety video on how to use a segway and then had time to practice right there in the SLV showroom.

Driving a segway is pretty easy: lean forward to go forward, lean back to go back, turn the right handle to go right, turn the left handle to go left. The only problem I had was I kept trying to "give it gas" by turning the right handle, which is how motorcycles are set up, so I turned right a lot. Ha ha!

SLV took a group of us on a BethWorks Tour, which takes you along the old Bethlehem Steel property in south Bethlehem (where the new casino is being built) and north Bethlehem, aka Historic Bethlehem. We drove on sidewalks, over bridges, on gravel paths, on cobblestones - segways are surprisingly smooth, regardless of the terrain. And traffic was even polite enough to wait patiently as we scooted through a crosswalk or two.

On the day of my tour, a representative from Historic Bethlehem Partnership acted as our tour guide, stopping here and there throughout the route to reveal historic nuggets of info, which was a nice addition to the pretty scenery.

So, does this sound like something you would do?

 

Lehigh Valley's newest dog hangout

Every day on my way home from work I pass Cold Nose Lodge and I've always wanted to stop in to see what it looks like inside. The building used to look really run down and now they’ve turned it into a really cute daycare (among other services) for dogs.

I just found out that Nancy in our office went to visit Cold Nose Lodge. When I asked her about it, her response was “Awwww.” She said they have a blog written by Cold Nose Betty (the dog in the picture) where she updates everyone on which dogs come to play each day. They also have a live web cam where the parents can see what their dogs are up to. I don’t have a dog but I enjoy watching the pups running around!

My fiancé and I will be buying a house soon and I’ve officially decided (he's already agreed) that we will be getting a dog – a golden retriever to be specific. I wish we could have one in time for the Bark & Wine event they are holding next month. There will be appetizers, dog-themed wines, live music and even photography sessions for dogs - sounds fun! But the chances of us having a puppy by then are slim. Does anyone have a dog I can borrow??

Leslie Nielsen in Lehigh Valley?! Surely, you can't be serious!

I picked up today's edition of The Morning Call and saw the wrinkly, smiling face of Leslie Nielsen on the cover of the Life section. Since it's been at least 15 years since a new Naked Gun movie has been out, I didn't even realize he was still alive. I scanned the article and saw that Mr. Nielsen will be in Lehigh Valley this Friday for the 9th Annual Student Film Festival at DeSales University.

My memory is a little fuzzy as to when I first became aware of Nielsen, but it was most probably when I first saw the movie Airplane!. My dad had that movie on VHS, so I had the chance to watch it again and again. What a stellar flick! It has to be the first great spoof comedy to ever hit the big screen.

Nielsen played a deadpan doctor on the infamous food-poisoned flight. Even though this was his first-ever comedic role, he served up some of the most subtle humor I've ever seen in a movie, best illustrated by his confusion of the word "surely" for the name "Shirley."

Apparently I'm not the only person who likes that line, because in researching this post I found that it's in the American Film Institute's Top 100 Film Quotes.

Anyway, the point of this trip down memory lane/movie review is to let everyone know that 1) Leslie Nielsen is still alive and 2) he'll be doing a public Q&A session this Friday as part of DeSales' Student Film Festival.

What's your favorite Leslie Nielsen movie?

A farewell to the Lehigh Valley ski season

My son was severely depressed when 5:00 p.m. rolled around yesterday and he took his last run for the season at Blue Mountain Ski Area. Bear Creek Mountain Resort also closed yesterday, marking the official end to skiing and snowboarding season in Lehigh Valley. 

Besides being their closing day, Blue Mountain also held their annual Pond Skimming Competition (Bear Creek's was the previous weekend). I decided to go check it out because last year I had a blast. Kate from the office decided to meet me there cause she thought it would be a ton of fun ... and that it was! 

Kate and I were trying to determine which "character" we enjoyed the most: the person in the chicken costume, the two guys in the speedos, the pirate, the girls in the bikinis, the little kids who barely had enough weight to get across the pond or the Hawaiian guy in the grass skirt and lei. 

There is one more snowboarding event at Blue Mountain this season that my son will get to experience and that is the Grateful Shred Rail Jam, scheduled for Saturday, April 18th. Last year it was about 75 degrees on the day they held it and everyone had a great time being back on the snow. As an avid boarder, my son wouldn't miss this event for the world! 

After that, I'll have to spend the next seven months trying to keep my 15-year old at bay until the season starts again. He is an avid bike rider and likes to fish and golf so hopefully that will keep him busy. Any other suggestions? 

A trip to Portugal via Valenca in Easton

Last year a new restaurant opened in downtown Easton in the space that was once home to the Easton Sweet Shop. This long-abandoned storefront was, to be quite honest, an eyesore for the downtown, so I was excited when Valenca on the Square filled that void... and in style.

This restaurant specializes in Portuguese cuisine which I must confess I am not very familiar with. Having heard good things about it from friends and colleagues, my boyfriend, Jeff, and I finally dined there on a recent Friday night.

We were promptly seated by the friendly hostess at a table along the long wall of windows overlooking Centre Square. (Valenca also has al fresco dining in the warm weather months for which I am anxious to go back.) The decor features beautiful wood work in a warm brown tone which made it very inviting if not a tad formal, though other diners were dressed as casually as we were.

I had heard that the paella (pictured) was their signature dish so I decided to give it a try. I love seafood, so this entree fit me like a glove. The saffron rice and vegetable mixture was chock full of scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels and even half a lobster tail with a claw. Eating the lobster was a bit messy despite the metal cracker and moist towelettes provided to me, but it was worth the extra trouble to free the tasty crustacean from its shell. The paella portion was so large and filling that I left with a hefty to-go container - two (or maybe three) meals for the price of one!

Overall the meal, the service and the dining environment were great and I hope to go back again soon. Then again I'm told that Valenca also has a wine cellar dining room in the basement for up to 30 people who want an intimate dinner for a special occasion. And I DO have a birthday coming up next month...

Explore Lehigh Valley on a budget

Money is tight for all of us these days, so I wanted to share a list I recently put together of Lehigh Valley attractions and events that are either free or cost less than $5 per person. 

Museums & Galleries:
• Liberty Bell Shrine Museum (pictured) – no fee, but donations are appreciated - see a replica of the original bell, which was hidden from the British in the basement of this church. 
• Allentown Art Museum – Admission to the facility’s main galleries is free on Sundays; however, a $5 fee is charged for admission to the special exhibit area.
• Banana Factory – Admission is free to watch a glass-blowing demonstration, tour the galleries and 23 artists’ studios, and visit the gift shop selling handmade art.
• Lehigh Valley Wine Trail – Visit all nine of the family-owned and operated wineries in the region; some wineries may charge a nominal fee for tastings.
• C.F Martin Guitar Company – Free one-hour factory tours are offered from 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (a small fee is charged for groups of 10 or more). After the tour, check out the 1833 gift shop, Pickin’ Parlor and company museum.

The Outdoors
• Go for a walk in the Allentown Parks System, which includes Trexler Park, Lehigh Parkway or Cedar Beach Park. Or take a hike in Jacobsburg State Park or along the Monocacy Creek in Bethlehem.
• Request a free brochure (Lehigh Valley Cycling Maps) for places to ride your bike.
• Fish along the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers as well as at numerous creeks and streams that traverse the region.

This is just a start - I've got more to share. Check back next Friday for the rest of my list!

Watching the big games in Lehigh Valley

Today and tomorrow are by far my two favorite days in sports. The Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament begins today at noon, at which time I'll be in the friendly confines of my buddy Chad’s living room with four TVs showing every game on in front of me. I can’t think of a better way to spend my vacation days. And with Temple making the tourney this year it makes it even sweeter.

If you're not as lucky as I am to have Chad's living room to watch the games in, I have a few suggestions for places where every game can be seen.

• Now nationally famous, the Blue Monkey in Catasauqua is a good place to watch hoops.
• Rookies, Stooges, and Volpe's, all in Allentown. I have been to all three of these establishments to watch games and all do a fine job of covering every game.
• And Starters Riverport and Starters Pub, both in Bethlehem, have more than enough TVs to satisfy anyone’s basketball viewing desires.

So is anyone else taking off from work to watch the games? Or maybe just taking a long lunch?