Bethlehem Press

After returning from summer break, the Mayor’s South Side Task Force got back to business July 31 with a discussion of the Community Action Development Corp. (CADCB) of Bethlehem’s City Lights neighborhood that is in its initial planning stages. “Both of those cul-de-sacs were cut in years ago by a developer who went broke,” said SSTF Chairman Roger Hudak, adding, “The infrastructure for the buildings is in.

After returning from summer break, the Mayor’s South Side Task Force got back to business with a discussion of the Community Action Development Corp. (CADCB) of Bethlehem’s City Lights neighborhood, that is in its initial planning stages.

An unusual proposal for large short-term signage was granted a certificate of appropriateness by the Bethlehem Historic Conservation Commission at the August meeting in the Rotunda. The approved contemporary design would be installed on the front and side façades of a late 20th century brick veneer structure in the historic district.

Barnaby Ruhe, a Lehigh Valley creative force of nature, brings “Regenesis” to the David E. Rodale Gallery at The Baum School of Art with an opening reception 6 - 9 p.m. Sept. 20. The event, held in conjunction with Allentown’s monthly “Destination Arts: Third Thursday,” features the multi-talented American artist, shaman, academic, and world-champion boomeranger.

Juxtaposed with the Impressionistic, energetic, stream-of-consciousness work of Barnaby Ruhe, the exquisitely-detailed artwork of the late miniature artist, Jane Walker Conneen (1921–2008), graces the walls of The Baum School of Art’s Rodale Family Gallery.

Conneen’s “It’s a Small World” exhibit featuring her tiny etchings opens Sept. 20 with a shared reception with Ruhe’s “Regenesis” exhibit, 6 - 9 p.m. Both exhibitions conclude Oct. 20 with a shared closing reception, 6 - 9 p.m. Oct. 18.

When the 19th century immigrants flocked to Bethlehem to work, first in the iron works, then later as steelworkers, they brought their families along. These families arrived with steamer trunks, suitcases and their religious beliefs as well. Since many did not speak English, the Windish, Germans, Italians, Hungarians, and those from other ethnic backgrounds clustered together in segregated neighborhoods to be around folks who spoke the same language as they did.

Soon churches and a few synagogues sprang up in those ethnic neighborhoods.

A certificate of appropriateness was granted to the Moravian Book Shop’s replacement awning proposal for 428 - 436 Main St. at the Aug. 1 meeting of the Historical and Architectural Review Board. Representing the owner of the iconic store, Moravian College VP for Finance and Administration Mark Reed and project manager Amber Donato were well prepared for their presentation in the Rotunda. Unlike the older, faded awning being replaced, the new taupe fabric will not be scalloped. “Moravian Book Shop” is to be painted in off-white along the bottom edge of the overhang.

A patchwork of ballet, modern dance, and tap styles came together at the Lehigh Valley Charter HS for the Arts to end of last school year. According to artistic director of dance Kimberly Maniscalco, “The Charter Arts Dance Department’s ‘Quilt’ was the final product of a year-long repertory course that all dance students enroll in each year.” With the 2018-19 school year already underway, the instructors and students will soon begin many hours of work to craft a new quilt to be admired in the spring.

“Gentle on My Mind,” written by John Hartford, elevated Glen Campbell, a young Arkansas-born sessions musician, to stardom in 1967.

Fifty-one years later, his widow, Kimberly (Woolen) Campbell, described how Alzheimer’s disease ravaged the Grammy Hall of Fame singer’s mind.

The presentation, at the first annual Lehigh Valley Caregiver Retreat at DeSales University recently for caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, featured Kim Campbell, co-founder of Careliving.org and Lori La Bey, founder of “Alzheimer’s Speaks.”

The Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley’s proposal to tear down a house they own to make room for a new grassy plaza was tabled by the Bethlehem Historic Conservation Commission at the July 16 meeting in the Rotunda. The property consists of a former one-story gothic revival brick church with a stone façade on one side and a circa-1935 wood frame house on the other, connected at the rear by a 1940s era brick addition. A small parking area lies between the two older buildings. Representing the Hispanic Center complex at 520 E. Fourth St.