In case you are not familiar with the festival, it was started to give local church choirs an opportunity to come together to share their talents with each other all while glorifying the word of the Lord.  It is usually held the Sunday before Thanksgiving. A free will offering is taken which benefits ProJeCt of Easton.  P of E is an interfaith initiative in downtown Easton that offers emergency assistance, a food program, community supportive services, and educational programs to over 5,000 disadvantaged children and adults each year. Information on ProJeCt can be found at http://www.projecteaston.org.   It is a great organization and I am happy to say that this year’s donation from the festival was over $1000.00.  Since it is called an interfaith festival, the choirs come from protestant and Catholic Churches, a Jewish Temple and this year there was a Muslim group that performed.  In addition to The Victory Voices, the festival was represented by the following church choirs:  St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, First United Church of Christ, Trinity Episcopal Church, Temple Covenant of Peace, Lehigh Dialogue Center, St. John’s UCC of Farmersville, and the host church, St. Jane Frances de Chantal Roman Catholic Church of Easton.  We came together at the end to perform two selections together. They were “I Choose Love” by Mark Miller and “American The Beautiful”.  Having over 100 voices really made the conclusion of the festival sound tremendous.  I Choose Love was written in response to the Charleston, NC church shooting in 2015. A solemn but very emotional piece.

Since this was only our third time performing in public, you would think that we would have a few butterflies. But, this ensemble is a fun group to work with that is down to earth, relaxed and likes to have fun.  We got on stage and knew we were there to sing praise to the Lord and entertain the crowd.  There was no fear or worry, just excitement to be there!  As they stood there in their white shirts and red ties, I couldn’t have been more proud with how well they did.  They were strong, energetic and filled the room with sound.  It was very clear that what came out of the mouths of our musicians was widely enjoyed by the audience.

I was very pleased with this experience and even more happy of how well we did.  I can humbly say that we were a huge success by the way many of our members were treated after the concert.  I could hardly get to the refreshment table without someone stopping to say just how much they enjoyed the group.  I am very Blessed to be the director of the ensemble and thankful that we were able to make a joyful noise to the Lord through our song.

If you want to hear the Victory Voices again, we are singing for the Christmas Eve service at the Bethel Memorial Baptist Church on December 24^th at 6:00pm.   You can find the church at http://bethelmemorialbaptist.org.

Check out some of the video and pictures from the event and our other public performance.

We had played in July of 2016 and it was a great experience.  We had hoped to play again this season, but when I called Zach Betkowski, the Promotions and Entertainment Manager for the Iron Pigs, the schedule was already set with performers. So, we were out of luck.  But then, our luck changed.  I got a call from Zach in late August and he informed me that he had a sudden opening for the anthem on 9/1 and asked if we could cover it.  We were only too happy to oblige.  Add in the fact that they would be playing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders, which are the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees and it had the makings of a great evening.

The Iron Pigs organization is a class act.  They were and have always been very professional and wonderful to work with.  The perk of playing is that they offer us free tickets to the game. You also get a chance to go down the elevator and zig-zag trough the maze of hallways leading you to the area that walks out to the field.  Having always had a love of baseball, this experience does make you feel like a kid again.  Everything is extremely structured and since the game airs on television, strict timing must be adhered to.  We walked out around 6:50pm to wait until our performance time of 7:00pm.  On cue, Lindsey, the on-field assistant, ushered us to our spot behind home plate to wait for the announcer to say his lead-in for us to play.  Standing there waiting, you get a chance to see the stadium from the players point of view. It is really awesome! There were almost 10,000 people in attendance and you certainly feel the pressure to not make any mistakes, especially when you have to play it by memory.   A few minutes later we were given the cue and it was show time. Two microphones in front of us and it was our time to honor America with the National Anthem.  As you can hear in the video, it went really well and they were very impressed by our rendition.  It was rewarding to play and I was filled with a great sense of pride.

After we were finished, Bill and Shannon decided to stay for the game so the three of us had our seats next to each other.  In the past after we played, I had never stayed for the game. So, this was a great way to experience my first game.  The in-game fan experience and in-between inning entertainment is a lot of fun. Regardless of the score of the game, the fan is treated very well and there is no wonder why the Iron Pigs are such a huge draw in the Lehigh Valley.

This was a great experience for me and I can only hope we have a chance to play again in the future.  It is now our intent to reach higher goals and see if we can get an invitation to play the National Anthem for a Philadelphia Phillies or New York Yankees major league game. I guess only time will tell.  Play Ball!!!

Steel Stacks, Bethelehem, Pa. (www.steelstacks.org)

In the historic South Side of Bethlehem, the Steel Stacks building and Levitt Pavilion have really grown to offer a lot of choices and activities to any person or family.  By clicking EVENTS on the subheading on the home page you can see a wide variety of free and ticketed events.  Events such as Arlo Guthrie, Matthew Morrison and comedians Ben Bailey and Rob Schneider, to name a few, are slated for this summer and fall. But what is so nice about Steel Stacks is the amount of other non-musical entertainment available.  From tours, to family programming, any visitor or even local is bound to find something they will enjoy.

Sands Event Center, Bethlehem, Pa. (www.sandseventcenter.com/events/)

Located within walking distance of the Steel stacks property is the Bethlehem Sands Casino and event center. The event center has planned some eclectic and diverse entertainment this summer and is certainly worth checking out.  Or, you can go to the Molten Lounge in the Sands Casino and check out their weekly slate of free entertainment. (www.pasands.com/nightlife/molten.html)

MusikFest Bethlehem, Pa. (www.musikfest.org/lineup/)

I would be neglecting probably one of the biggest music festivals in the country if I did not mention MusikFest. With over 500 concerts in a 10-day festival, MusikFest offers a wide range of performances both free and ticketed for just about any musical taste. Click on the website and you can clearly see where and when your favorite act will be performing.

www.lehighvalleymarketplace.com/the-sounds-of-summer/

This website is a good general site which offers you a lot of choices and information for each choice and venue.  It is worth taking a look at.

www.mcall.com/entertainment/mc-summer-band-concerts-lehigh-valley-20170506-story.html

If you are into local bands of all types, there are a lot of choices for that too.  Click on the link above and you will find from Easton to Catasauqua, Bethlehem to Macungie, a large list of venues and scheduled performances.  This alone is enough to tire anyone out!

www.discoverlehighvalley.com/events/major-events-festivals/

If fairs and festivals are your thing, discover Lehigh valley has a list of 21 different events, which offer great food, music and activities for family, friends or just yourself.  This is a great resource for activity in the greater Lehigh Valley.

Mt. Airy Casino & Resort  (www.mountairycasino.com/entertainment/)

The Poconos are about 30 miles North of the Lehigh Valley and also feature a wide range of activity both indoors and out for you to take advantage of.  Perhaps my next blog will focus more on the Poconos and the treasure trove of great things the region offers. In the meantime,  Mt. Airy Casino and Resort is a hot spot with a lot of activity and entertainment nightly and including special event concerts.  If you are thinking family or doing something with friends, check out this website: www.poconomountains.com/things-to-do/adventure-bucketlist/summer/  The summer bucket list for the Pocono area gives you a list of cool activities available to you.

There is so much more I could list here. The greater Lehigh Valley and even a little further out, it is just filled with so many options of things to do.  If you ever say, “there is nothing to do tonight”, you probably aren’t looking because with just a little amount of searching, you can really open up a ton of possibilities. Plus, this is without mentioning any of the many shopping areas, food choices and parks.  Phew, I am tired just thinking of all these possibilities!

Best of luck in finding what you are looking for this summer!!

A highly rewarding community initiative

For many college students, the month of May is a great time of year.  The smell of spring is in the air and you can finally begin to enjoy outdoor recreation without the worry of it being too cold.  May also means the end of another year.  Before that happens though, there are plenty of semester end projects, papers and of course, final exams.  When you get to your senior year, you really see the end of the road and look forward to beginning your career and the next chapter of your life.

When the final day is here, you are excited to go home and begin your summer.  However, when packing to go home, you realize that over the course of the year, you have accumulated way more items than you had when you arrived in September.  Regardless if you live close to school or are from out of town, it is not always possible to take everything home that you brought for the fall semester. Those students who have to fly to their college can only really take the items that fit in their suitcase and a carry on.  Because of these issues, college students across the country throw out tons of good items every year.  Very good furniture, household items, appliances, and clothing to name a few end up in dumpsters and off to a landfill.  It is sad to see such a waste across America.

One such institution realized this and knew that something had to be done.  Almost ten years ago, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. forged ahead with a plan to organize, through their student affairs department, a campus wide collection of unwanted items.  Anything from clothing, to DVD’s, kitchen items, TV’s, furniture and so much more were on the list.  Once everything was gathered, they held a community wide sale to raise money for needy organizations.  They aptly named it “The Greater South Side Sale”!

I began attending this sale many years ago after seeing a little advertisement for it.   It is held on E. Fourth St. in Bethlehem in a parking lot.  My first time there they had a decent crowd and a 40ft. tent with all the goods underneath.  I was able to get several items all at a fraction of the cost if I had purchased them new.  It was a neat event and I was happy all the money went to a good cause.

Well, this event proved to be a great success for Lehigh and the South Side. Each year it has grown larger and larger.  In fact, the sale, which is held on the first Saturday of June at 10am. is so well attended that lines begin forming at least 2 hours ahead to get in.  This year, I arrived around 8:30am and there were ALREADY at least 100 people in front of me! The tent is now 100ft. long and they still have a large section outside of the tent with items for sale. It is HUGE!  The sale is a great event for the community. Student affairs organized almost 60 volunteers for various jobs including set up, organizing, and most importantly, sorting through the nearly 20 tons of items every year.  There is clearly a lot of behind the scenes work happening to make this gigantic yard sale a great achievement for all.  It was reported that in 2016, the sale profited around $20,000 which helped fund projects for Southside youths.  They included helping with field trips, homework clubs and other youth oriented programs.

Whoever thought of this probably couldn’t have ever imagined just how large it would be.  An idea that initially began to help avoid throwing away usable items has morphed into a community-wide initiative that benefits local kids, as well as offering these items to the community at affordable prices.  A big high five is due to everyone who has a hand in making this the smashing success that it has become for South Bethlehem.  BRAVO to ALL!!