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GET MORE AT LVWITHLOVE.COM We caught up with Lara Bly at Lara Bly Designs in South Bethlehem as she gets ready for her Fall/Winter 2026 Fashion Show at The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem on Friday, October 9. Lara takes us inside her boutique and working design studio, where much of what you see on the racks is actually made right there.   Lara Bly Fall/Winter 2026 Fashion Show: Friday, October 9, 2026, at The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. Tickets and show information: LaraBly.com Learn more about Lara Bly Designs: LaraBly.com PRESENTED BY BANKO BEVERAGE CO. The 12-Foot-Tall Skeleton Crawl Is Back Explore the community-built map of Halloween displays across the Lehigh Valley and check out the limited-edition It Came From the Lehigh River shirts created with Bethlehem artist Thymes Zup. EXPLORE THE MAP SHOP THE SHIRTS Learn more about the 2026 Skeleton Crawl → ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT   Get More Lehigh Valley with Love SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER Thank You to Our Partners Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn with RE/MAX Real Estate WDIY 88.1 FM Banko Beverage Company QuoteAhead.com Email news releases and story ideas to [email protected]

GET MORE AT LVWITHLOVE.COM Cathleen O’Malley is bringing Milkdrunk, her original one-woman show about childbirth, breastfeeding, motherhood and everything messy that comes with it, to Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem October 7-10. Cathleen joins George Wacker to talk about how her own experience giving birth became the starting point for Milkdrunk, and how documenting the strange, difficult and funny moments of early motherhood eventually turned into a theatrical show. She describes Milkdrunk as a brutal comedy about breastfeeding, but the conversation goes well beyond that. Cathleen talks about using humor to explore some very raw territory, the taboos and expectations surrounding birth and motherhood, and why audiences who may not initially think the show is for them have connected with it. The show premiered Off-Broadway at the United Solo Theatre Festival at Theater Row and has since been performed in Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Cathleen also talks about her history with Touchstone Theatre, what it means to return to Bethlehem with this show, and what she hopes audiences take away from Milkdrunk, including a little more curiosity about the caregivers in their own lives and the demands placed on them. Milkdrunk: October 7-10, 2026, at Touchstone Theatre, 321 East 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA. Performances are Wednesday through Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets: Adults $35; students and seniors $25. Thursday’s performance is Pay-What-You-Will. Get tickets and show information: Milkdrunk at Touchstone Theatre Learn more about Cathleen O’Malley: cathleenomalley.com PRESENTED BY BANKO BEVERAGE CO. The 12-Foot-Tall Skeleton Crawl Is Back Explore the community-built map of Halloween displays across the Lehigh Valley and check out the limited-edition It Came From the Lehigh River shirts created with Bethlehem artist Thymes Zup. EXPLORE THE MAP SHOP THE SHIRTS Learn more about the 2026 Skeleton Crawl → ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT   Get More Lehigh Valley with Love SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER Thank You to Our Partners Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn with RE/MAX Real Estate WDIY 88.1 FM Banko Beverage Company QuoteAhead.com Email news releases and story ideas to [email protected]

GET MORE AT LVWITHLOVE.COM Anja Keister is bringing burlesque back to Northampton. After D20 Burlesque’s Valentine’s show sold out the Roxy earlier this year, the hometown performer and producer returns with D20 Burlesque’s Spooky Spectacular on Sunday, October 4. Anja joins George Wacker again to talk about how that first Roxy show went and what surprised her about the crowd. People just old enough to attend showed up alongside older couples, longtime friends and guests in their eighties. She calls burlesque “an art form for the masses,” and seeing that range of people in her hometown made the return especially meaningful. The Halloween show builds on what audiences enjoyed in February: burlesque alongside dance, pole performances and flow arts. Chicago performer Red Rum headlines, with Anja hosting and performing. The lineup also includes Caresse Deville, Rosa Darling, Miss Shuggenah, Pixie Styx, Sarah “Chillidawg” DeRemer, Jade Retrograde and Taylor Sweet. Anja also talks about the handmade work behind burlesque, from costumes and choreography to producing a show. She and George discuss why horror and burlesque fit together so well: both know how to build anticipation and give an audience a memorable payoff. D20 Burlesque’s Spooky Spectacular: Sunday, October 4, 2026, at the Roxy Theater, 2004 Main St., Northampton, PA. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. This is an 18+ event, and IDs will be checked. Get tickets: D20 Burlesque’s Spooky Spectacular Catch up: Listen to our first conversation with Anja Keister. PRESENTED BY BANKO BEVERAGE CO. The 12-Foot-Tall Skeleton Crawl Is Back Explore the community-built map of Halloween displays across the Lehigh Valley and check out the limited-edition It Came From the Lehigh River shirts created with Bethlehem artist Thymes Zup. EXPLORE THE MAP SHOP THE SHIRTS Learn more about the 2026 Skeleton Crawl → ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT   Get More Lehigh Valley with Love SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER Thank You to Our Partners Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn with RE/MAX Real Estate WDIY 88.1 FM Banko Beverage Company QuoteAhead.com Email news releases and story ideas to [email protected]

GET MORE AT LVWITHLOVE.COM Nathan Szydlow, creator of LV Crime Map, joins the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast to explain how he built a live incident map for police, fire and EMS dispatches across Lehigh and Northampton counties.   Szydlow has been programming since he was 12 and wanted to combine his software-development background with his interest in the Lehigh Valley. The idea for LV Crime Map began while he and his girlfriend were looking for an apartment and grew after he started seeing ambulances responding to incidents around their development. LV Crime Map follows publicly available scanner feeds and uses AI to convert dispatch audio into text, identify locations and place incidents on an interactive map. The conversation covers how the technology works, how the automated map differs from local breaking-news pages and why AI-generated information can sometimes be incomplete or inaccurate. LV Crime Map is an independent informational resource. It is not affiliated with law enforcement and is not an emergency notification system. Always call 911 during an emergency. Explore LV Crime Map: LVCrimeMap.com Download the app: iOS App Store | Google Play PRESENTED BY BANKO BEVERAGE CO. The 12-Foot-Tall Skeleton Crawl Is Back Explore the community-built map of Halloween displays across the Lehigh Valley and check out the limited-edition It Came From the Lehigh River shirts created with Bethlehem artist Thymes Zup. EXPLORE THE MAP SHOP THE SHIRTS Learn more about the 2026 Skeleton Crawl → ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Get More Lehigh Valley with Love SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER Thank You to Our Partners Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn with RE/MAX Real Estate WDIY 88.1 FM Banko Beverage Company QuoteAhead.com Email news releases and story ideas to [email protected]

GET MORE AT LVWITHLOVE.COM Kelsey Aikens, Director of Social Services for Battle Borne, joins the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast to discuss the housing gap facing women veterans in the Lehigh Valley. Women veterans experiencing a housing crisis can find themselves caught between general shelters that may not understand veteran-specific needs and veteran programs that were not designed around women, children or families. Kelsey discusses Battle Borne’s effort to expand transitional housing for women veterans and their families, her own experience returning from deployment during COVID, and how the organization connects veterans with housing, benefits, mental health care and other community resources. Learn more: WeAreBattleBorne.com Support the Bring Our Veterans Home initiative: Donate through Givebutter PRESENTED BY BANKO BEVERAGE CO. The 12-Foot-Tall Skeleton Crawl Is Back Explore the community-built map of Halloween displays across the Lehigh Valley and check out the limited-edition It Came From the Lehigh River shirts created with Bethlehem artist Thymes Zup. EXPLORE THE MAP SHOP THE SHIRTS Learn more about the 2026 Skeleton Crawl → ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Get More Lehigh Valley with Love SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER Thank You to Our Partners Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn with RE/MAX Real Estate WDIY 88.1 FM Banko Beverage Company QuoteAhead.com Email news releases and story ideas to [email protected]

Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! Dave Burgio, co-founder of Trifecta Credit Solutions in Allentown, joins the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast to talk about how credit connects to capital. The conversation covers credit readiness, business funding, SBA loans, debt consolidation, creative finance, private real estate lending, and the mistakes people often make before applying for funding. Dave explains why credit is not just about removing negative items, why personal and business credit often work together, and why paying on time is still one of the simplest and most important things people can do. This is a practical conversation for consumers, small business owners, and real estate investors who want to better understand how to get lender ready before they need the money. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to [email protected] Subscribe to our email list

Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! The Flint water crisis did not begin at the faucet. It grew out of economic decline, aging infrastructure and a system that removed local control from the people most affected by decisions about their water. George Wacker talks with playwright Maura Haney and two-time Obie Award-winning director Lee Sunday Evans about The Poisoner, a neo-noir thriller inspired by Flint. Maura explains why the play takes place in the fictional Mack City, while Lee discusses theater’s ability to connect individual lives with larger structures of power.   They also discuss emergency management, the journalist at the center of the story, the production’s four-person cast, and the decision to tour seven industrial cities ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The conversation reaches the Lehigh Valley through growing questions about data centers, water use and who gets a voice when communities make decisions about essential resources. The Poisoner begins its national tour at Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem, September 17 through 19, 2026, at 8 p.m. The production runs 90 minutes without an intermission. Tickets and Bethlehem performance information: https://touchstone.org/events/the-poisoner/ Production and national tour information: https://www.uncommonproductions.com/the-poisoner Get more Lehigh Valley with Love content: https://www.lvwithlove.com Thank you to our partners: Wind Creek Event Center, Michael Bernadyn with RE/MAX Real Estate, WDIY 88.1 FM, Banko Beverage and QuoteAhead.com. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to [email protected] Subscribe to our email list

Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! Moms mean business, and at The Mom Market, kids do too. Founder Devika Knafo returns to the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast as The Mom Market approaches its first anniversary. What began with 40 women supporting Devika’s vision has grown into a community platform that she says has supported more than 160 mom- and women-owned businesses. Devika talks about creating space for women at every stage of business, from entrepreneurs developing their first idea to established owners opening brick-and-mortar locations. She also explains how her own postpartum experience inspired her to build the support system she wished she had. The Mom Market’s Summer Glow event will include a dedicated Kids Market for young entrepreneurs ages 5–17. Parents can offer support, but the children will run their booths, speak with customers, and learn how to adjust in real time. The Mom Market: Summer Glow Sunday, August 23, 2026 9 AM–2 PM Bethlehem Rose Garden Free admission Kids Market registration: https://kidsmarkets.com/markets/bethlehem-3 Learn more about The Mom Market: https://momsmeetmarket.com/ Hear Devika’s first appearance on the podcast: https://lehighvalleywithlovemedia.com/podcast/themommarket/   Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to [email protected] Subscribe to our email list

Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! CeaseFirePA Lehigh Valley Organizer Maggie Hartmann joins George Wacker to discuss gun violence prevention in Allentown and the work continuing after the July 16 Allentown Gun Violence Prevention Forum.   Maggie talks about bringing elected officials, community organizations, law enforcement and residents together, including young people in decisions that affect them, addressing gaps in after-school support and building trusted partnerships within Allentown neighborhoods. The conversation also covers school safety, secure firearm storage, House Bill 2244 and practical ways Lehigh Valley residents can support CeaseFirePA’s work. Parent and Caregiver School Safety Survey: https://act.ceasefirepa.org/a/schoolsafetysurvey Sign the Petition: https://www.mobilize.us/ceasefirepa/event/996058/ Learn more about CeaseFirePA: https://www.ceasefirepa.org/ Contact Maggie Hartmann: [email protected] This episode is brought to you by Wind Creek Event Center, Michael Bernadyn with RE/MAX Real Estate, WDIY 88.1 FM, Banko Beverage and QuoteAhead.com. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to [email protected] Subscribe to our email list

Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! Banko Beverage President Tony Gallo joins Lehigh Valley with Love at Musikfest to talk about the family business, its relationship with the festival and where the beverage industry is heading. Banko supplies bars, restaurants and retailers across ten counties in northeastern Pennsylvania. Gallo discusses the importance of spending time with those local businesses, supporting smaller brands and growing Banko’s selection of non-alcoholic, sports and wellness drinks. He also shares his own Musikfest traditions, including people-watching, waiting all week for Go Go Gadjet and trying as much festival food as possible. His advice for first-time visitors is simple: Start at Aw Shucks and figure it out from there. Banko Beverage Company is a strong supporter of Lehigh Valley with Love. Follow Banko on Instagram for daily Musikfest ticket giveaways, behind-the-scenes videos and more throughout the year. Banko Beverage Company: https://bankobeverage.com/ Follow Banko: https://www.instagram.com/bankobeveragecompany/ Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to [email protected] Subscribe to our email list

Advertisement Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! Marine veteran Gabe Atkins is taking on a roughly 3,500-mile bicycle ride from Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, to San Diego, California, to raise awareness for veteran suicide prevention and support organizations helping veterans in crisis. After serving two tours in Afghanistan, Gabe struggled to readjust to civilian life and watched friends and fellow veterans battle PTSD, isolation, and a loss of purpose. He talks about why asking for help can be so difficult, how photography helped him begin moving forward, and why finding a community can be an important first step. Gabe also explains the planning behind the 102-day ride, his decision to document the journey in 22-mile blocks, and his commitment to being transparent about the money raised. Fifty percent of proceeds after costs will support organizations including Battle Borne and Wounded Warrior Project. Follow the journey, donate, or purchase campaign merchandise at: https://22is22toomany.com/ Veterans in crisis, or anyone concerned about a veteran, can call 988 and press 1 or text 838255 for free, confidential support. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to [email protected] Subscribe to our email list

Advertisement Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! Musikfest Preview Night arrives Thursday, July 30, followed by 10 days of music, food, art and nearly unavoidable reunions throughout Bethlehem from Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 9. For the fifth annual Mayor’s Musikfest Preview Podcast, we set up at StadtPlatz outside Bethlehem City Hall with Mayor J. William Reynolds and eight guests who plan the festival, perform on its stages, volunteer behind the scenes and help create the community around it. The 43rd Musikfest features more than 400 performers and 500 performances across 16 stages, 15 of which are free. Mayor Reynolds described Musikfest as a shared experience that cannot be recreated through a screen. “You can’t one-up somebody else’s experience. What happens there is that it brings people together, and it shows us what’s possible when we’re focused on people.” Building a temporary city ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilgert started with the people responsible for turning more than 50 acres of Bethlehem into the country’s largest free music festival. “It takes 5,000 people to put this festival up and to tear it down. You’ve got volunteers that are taking 10 days from their vacation time at work to support this festival.” Hilgert also made a direct appeal for people to support the vendors, restaurants, hotels, artists and cultural organizations that keep events like Musikfest alive. Patrick Brogan, ArtsQuest’s Chief Programming Officer, said more than 2,000 artists applied to perform this year. The final program includes 417 artists presenting 512 sets, with roughly one-third of the festival changing each year. His advice is simple: “Follow your ears through the festival.” Turn a corner, stop at an unfamiliar stage and stay long enough to find the artist who could become your next favorite. “The soundtrack of Bethlehem” Miguel Perez-Soto has experienced Musikfest as an ArtsQuest board member, a musician, a B. Braun Medical employee and a supporter who has been attending for 25 years. He has also watched Musikfest and ArtsQuest’s year-round programming grow to represent more of the cultures found throughout Bethlehem. “Musikfest is the soundtrack of Bethlehem. We’re going to have a great time doing this for the next 10 days, but throughout the year, Bethlehem always has the initiative to reinvent itself and put events together for the entire family, for the entire community.” A place where everyone can Fest Richard Liu helped lead the creation of SoberPlatz, the inclusive alcohol-free space that returns to the SouthSide for its second year. Located near Americaplatz and the Flywheel, SoberPlatz offers room to relax, activities, recovery resources and a community that does not revolve around drinking. Everyone is welcome. The only request is that visitors not bring alcohol into the space. Liu shared the response that showed exactly why SoberPlatz was needed. “I’ve had people tell me they didn’t feel like they could Fest until SoberPlatz was there.” For Liu, Musikfest ultimately comes back to people. “It’s the volunteers that I see year after year and become friends with. It’s the friendships with performers who come back year after year. It’s the community members who I see and become friends with. It’s the people.” Learn more about SoberPlatz and its 2026 activities. Community voices and volunteers WDIY Executive Director Margaret McConnell described the station as another community organization powered largely by volunteers. WDIY was built by community members who wanted their own radio station. Its programming still reflects that original mission. “Picking hand-curated music, no algorithms involved. Very little automation. This is really led by this community, for this community.” ArtsQuest ambassador-level volunteer Robin Sherrerd has poured beer, sold tickets, worked with the Eco Squad and served as a site supervisor. “I worked my way up to site supervisor and enjoyed every bit of it because of the camaraderie that we have with all of the other volunteers.” Those relationships continue after the tents come down. Sherrerd said many volunteers have become friends who see one another and spend time together throughout the year. Two Bethlehem artists step onto the stage Bethlehem country artist Lilly Moss opens for Russell Dickerson at the Wind Creek Steel Stage on Friday, July 31. She returns Sunday, August 2 for a free Main Street performance. Two years ago, Moss opened a fortune cookie while attending the Maren Morris concert at Musikfest. “I opened a fortune cookie and it said, ‘You will make a name for yourself.’” She kept and framed the fortune. Now she plans to carry it onto the largest stage she has ever played. Moss said she no longer becomes more nervous as the crowds grow. “As the crowds get bigger, I get more excited. I feed off the energy and the adrenaline.” Jenny Founds performs with Ruby Dear at Zinzenplatz from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, August 2. The Bethlehem alternative-rock trio is expanding for a special Ruby Dear Big Band performance featuring additional musicians from Start Making Sense. Founds performs original music with Ruby Dear and Talking Heads music with Start Making Sense. She sees value in both. “I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘I’ve never heard you before, but I can relate to your lyrics, and I’ve never felt seen like that.’ So both are valid, and both give opportunities to musicians.” A free Musikfest stage gives original artists something particularly valuable: people who were walking past, heard something interesting and decided to enter the tent. The Musikfest must-do list Mayor Reynolds and George also shared a few rules for getting the most out of Musikfest: Put the phone away. Spend time with someone you unexpectedly run into. Buy at least one thing. Watch an artist perform original music. Show someone your favorite Musikfest spot. Try a food you are not completely sure about. Leave one night open and see where Musikfest takes you. Musikfest Preview Night is Thursday, July 30. The full festival runs Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 9. Get the complete schedule and download the official app at Musikfest.org. Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to [email protected] Subscribe to our email list

Advertisement Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! Historic Easton Cemetery Executive Director Keith Lampman-Perlman leads Lehigh Valley with Love through 85 acres of Easton history, Victorian funerary art, monuments and green space.   The tour stops at the graves of Declaration of Independence signer George Taylor, football helmet inventor George Oliver Barclay, Lucy, Howard Rinek and John Frederic Osterstock, the man whose name lives on through the Freddy Awards. Keith also explains cradle graves, grave gardening, changing burial traditions and the work needed to preserve Easton’s largest green space. Learn more or plan a visit: https://www.thehistoriceastoncemetery.org/ Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to [email protected] Subscribe to our email list

Advertisement Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! We were recently invited to tour the new Phoenix Ridge Apartments in Allentown and get a closer look at what the community has to offer. From the grand social space and resident lounge to the fitness center, yoga room, conference room, dog wash station, and modern one- and two-bedroom apartments, Phoenix Ridge is clearly designed around convenience and everyday living. What stood out most is the balance. Phoenix Ridge gives residents access to downtown Allentown, restaurants, nightlife, and nearby parks, while still offering a setting that feels a little more peaceful and tucked away. Phoenix Ridge features like in-unit washer and dryer, off-street parking, bike storage, package room access, private balconies, and pet-friendly amenities. Watch the tour, take a look around, and contact the leasing team to schedule your personal tour here. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to [email protected] Subscribe to our email list

Advertisement Get More at LVwithLOVE.com! From the top of South Mountain to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem board member Dylan Stroup is preparing to climb Africa’s highest mountain while raising $50,000 for local kids through his Climb for Kids campaign.   We joined Dylan on South Mountain to talk about the personal goal that started the journey, the six months of training behind it, and why he decided that reaching the summit should also benefit the community around him. Dylan shares how long aerobic workouts, balance exercises, loaded hikes, and repeated climbs up Blue Mountain have prepared him for the challenge. He also talks about the family and friends who inspired him, the community that has joined the campaign, and his belief that success should be measured by the impact we have on others. The Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem has served local children and teens since 1930. Today, more than 650 young people rely on its educational, recreational, and character-development programs. Donate to Climb for Kids: https://givebutter.com/climbforkids Learn more: https://bgcob.org/climbforkids Join Dylan’s final training climb at Blue Mountain on Saturday, July 25: https://www.facebook.com/events/1739623163752091/ Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our Newsletter!  Thank you to our Partners! WDIY 88.1 FM QuoteAhead.com Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Banko Beverage Company Email your news release to [email protected] Subscribe to our email list