Celebrating Bethlehem's Southside Culture
When the sun finally sets behind C-Town in South Bethlehem and when the days’ work is done, where might someone go – during a pandemic – to grab a beer with a book or a friend, and watch families ride bikes on the greenway while surrounded by plants in an urban garden? The parklet at…
Despite my fear of sharing personal stories, Waxler created a space where vulnerability was not something to be feared, but something to be explored with kindness toward one’s self and other participants…
Have you ever wondered about what makes the South Side the vibrant, diverse, neighborhood that it is? Often, we know very little about the demographic and economic characteristics of the community in which we live. Understanding our neighborhood helps to bolster our sense of place in our community. The communities that we grow up and…
On Thursday, October 18, 2018, twenty Lehigh Valley residents came together to address the painful stigmas surrounding welfare in the U.S. This free public event was part of an ongoing discussion series hosted by Tackling T.I.N.A., an organization that aims to broaden the local community’s understanding of economic justice. The discussion series serves as a…
Tackling T.I.N.A. is not your average reading group. The group, which is run by Adam Heidebrink-Bruno, a grad student at Lehigh University, focuses on imagining alternatives to capitalism. The title of the group points toward their aim of “tackling” the belief that “there is no alternative” to our current economic system. Although this may seem…
On Wednesday, February 14, Tackling T.I.N.A. hosted the first of three public conversations scheduled this Spring. Themed around the idea of “Storytelling as a Strategy for Change,” Lehigh students and faculty joined together with Bethlehem community members to imagine how narrative frames and cultural myths shape our social and political realities. Led by graduate students…
For the students of The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, or Charter Arts for short, “the campus is the community.” Located in the heart of Southside Bethlehem, Executive Director & CEO of Charter Arts Diane LaBelle says that the school truly focuses on partnerships and involvement with the South Bethlehem community. While…
In the crisp days of early November, photographers (as well as other image-based artists and enthusiasts) gathered in South Bethlehem for the 2017 InVision Photo Festival at the Banana Factory Arts Center and SteelStacks. The festival combined contests, talks, workshops, and exhibitions to provide a unique experience for artists, one rife with educational, professional, and…
If you could tell the world one story about yourself, what would it be? “Called an amplifier of individual stories and a catalyst for building trust,” the Dear World campaign strives to bring personal stories to broader audiences. Dear World visited Lehigh University in late September; the impact of its resulting stories remains prevalent on campus….
On Friday, June 9th Tom and Betty Druckenmiller with Norm Williams took to the Godfrey Daniels stage, which celebrated 41 years in March. In an attempt to make the listening room as much like a porch as possible the group brought iced tea which they served in mason jars and Tom brought along an antique…