get festin’

The Lehigh Valley and its surrounding regions love a good festival. New this year: ARTSQUEST’S UPPER MAC DAYS at Grange Park (June 23–25). Get a taste of Pennsylvania Dutch life at the KUTZTOWN FOLK FESTIVAL (July 1–9) in Berks County. BETHLEHEM’S BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL will be in bloom at Burnside Plantation for the 36th year (July 15–16). And of course, there’s that little thing called MUSIKFEST (August 3–13) followed by summer’s curtain call, THE GREAT ALLENTOWN FAIR (August 30- September 4).

Lace Up Your Sneakers

THE LEHIGH VALLEY ROAD RUNNERS offer a summer running series that’s for kids only, ages 3–14 years old. Races at Lehigh Parkway will be held June 10, June 24, July 15 and August 5. Also, the region’s calendar is chock-full of 5Ks and other races that tend to emphasize community over competitiveness. A few options: BOOK IT 5K RUN and 1 MILE FUN RUN (Reading, June 24), FIRECRACKER 5K RUN/WALK (Port Carbon, July 4) and LV ZOO RUN WILD FOR ANIMAL CONSERVATION 5K & 10K (Schnecksville, August 12).

...or your roller skates

Roller skating has made a comeback in recent years, and now is as good a time as any to show your kids how awesome you are on eight wheels. WHITEHALL’S SKATEAWAY holds teen nights every Friday. Not to be outdone, Bethlehem has a SKATEAWAY of its own that features occasional theme nights, like ’80s Night and Neon Night. THE BIG WHEEL ROLLER SKATING CENTER in Stroudsburg gets newbies up and rolling with its lessons for beginners. There are also programs for adult and youth roller hockey players as well as tiny tots (kids five and under).