The quarterly series, curated by Radus, brings songwriters together to perform original music and talk about the stories, influences, and craft behind the songs.
This July edition features Doug “Ol’ Moose” Anderson, Radus’ uncle, one of his earliest musical influences, and a longtime Godfrey Daniels veteran.
Conor Hepp, the new Executive Director and CEO of Da Vinci Science Center in downtown Allentown, joins Lehigh Valley with Love to talk about the power of hands-on learning, what brought him to museum and science center work, and what comes next for the Center.
Conor shares how childhood visits to places like The Franklin Institute and Penn Museum helped spark his own curiosity, especially as a kid who learned best by moving, touching, exploring, and experiencing things directly.
We also talk about Da Vinci Science Center’s new downtown Allentown location, Curiosity Hall, the Lehigh Valley watershed exhibit, the balance between digital and tactile learning, and why community relevance is central to the Science Center’s future.
The conversation also touches on visitation, brand awareness, responsible planning, and how Da Vinci can continue reaching families, students, schools, and curious people across the Lehigh Valley.
End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller joins George Wacker on the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast to talk about Citizens United, dark money, super PACs, outside spending, and how campaign finance issues are showing up in Pennsylvania races.
Muller explains why the 2010 Supreme Court decision remains central to modern political spending, how outside groups can influence local and national races, and what voters can look for when they see political ads, mailers, or digital messages.
The conversation also covers End Citizens United’s work, its support for campaign finance reform candidates, and why transparency, accountability, and voter trust remain central to the organization’s mission.
The Painted Petal is a restored 1910 Craftsman-style boutique guest house and event venue at 7809 Hamilton Boulevard in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania.
Owner Maggie Fischer transformed the once-deteriorating historic home into one of the Lehigh Valley’s most unique places to stay, gather, create, and celebrate. Inside, the house is filled with restored woodwork, leaded glass, salvaged antiques, vintage furniture, local history, and surprises in nearly every room.
One of the biggest surprises came during the renovation, when crates marked “high explosives” were found in the basement. What first looked like old storage turned out to be very real, very old TNT.
Maggie shares the story behind The Painted Petal’s renovation, the home’s history, the antiques and artifacts that found their way back, the challenges of restoring a historic property, and why preservation matters in the Lehigh Valley.
The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem is celebrating 20 years in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Founded in 2006 by Jesse Thompson, the studio began as a third-floor yoga space in the former Cantelmi’s Hardware Building and has grown into a home for yoga, Pilates, teacher training, wellness, and community.
Owner Rachel Abott, founder Jesse Thompson, longtime teachers, students, and members of The Yoga Loft community reflect on the studio’s beginnings, its evolution, and the relationships that have kept it going for two decades.
From Rachel’s path from student to owner, to Jesse’s original vision, to the teachers and students who helped build the studio’s identity, this conversation celebrates the people who made The Yoga Loft what it is today.
The Saquon Barkley Alpha Invitational is coming to Whitehall High School June 20 and 21, bringing youth flag football, family fun, vendors, music, and community together where Saquon’s story began.
We talk with Tonya Johnson, Saquon Barkley’s mom and Vice President of the Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation, along with board member Rachael J. Pritzker, about why this event matters, how the foundation is giving back, and what it means for Saquon to continue investing in his hometown.
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This one is about football, family, opportunity, and making sure the next generation sees what is possible.
Mike McGrath is signing off from You Bet Your Garden on WDIY with a final episode that looks back on 30 years in public radio, a career rooted in organic gardening, and the kind of advice that made him a trusted voice for gardeners everywhere.
In the interview, Mike reflects on his time as editor of Organic Gardening, his years on public radio, and how the show eventually found a home at WDIY. He also shares one last piece of classic Mike McGrath gardening advice: “No trends.” Build raised beds, use real soil, grow without poisons, and do not take advice from random people on the internet.
The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is celebrating its 35th anniversary season in 2026, and Artistic Director Jason King Jones joined the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast to talk about the milestone, this year’s “Legends & Legacy” theme, and why Romeo and Juliet continues to connect with audiences generation after generation.
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Founded in 1992 at DeSales University, the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival has grown into one of the region’s premier summer theater destinations, blending Shakespeare, musicals, dramas, and contemporary productions into a packed annual season.
This year’s lineup includes Romeo & Juliet, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Million Dollar Quartet, Moriarty, and more running through August 2 in Center Valley.
During the conversation, Jones talks about balancing classic works with modern audiences, what makes live theater special in the Lehigh Valley, and why PSF continues to attract both longtime theatergoers and first-time visitors.
“People are social, and there’s not a whole lot of other opportunity to just go somewhere and socialize with all of your neighbors.”
Lisa Surma Borick said it simply, and she’s right.
Farmers markets are not just places to buy produce, baked goods, flowers, meats, soaps, coffee, mushrooms, or whatever else ends up in your bag on a Saturday morning. They are places where people see their neighbors. They are places where kids grow up knowing the vendors. They are places where customers do not just say they are going to buy something. They say they are going to see someone.
We spoke with Lisa Surma Borick of the Nazareth Economic Development Commission and Nazareth Farmers Market, and Emily Roland, Farmers’ Market Manager with the Greater Easton Development Partnership and Easton Farmers’ Market, about why farmers markets still feel so important right now.
Easton Farmers’ Market has roots dating back to 1752 and is known as America’s oldest continuously operating open-air market. Nazareth Farmers Market was reestablished in 2010 and has grown into a weekly gathering place in the center of town.
But the bigger story is not just history. It is what these markets do every week.
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Emily talked about the work people do not always see: selecting vendors, balancing farmers with prepared food and specialty vendors, handling permits, road closures, parking, layouts, special events, and all the details that make a market feel easy for the people walking through it.
Lisa talked about how markets create ownership. People say “my market.” They know the vendors by name. They bring their kids. They make the market part of their weekend rhythm.
The conversation also gets into the phrase “buy fresh, buy local” and what it actually means. Supporting a farmers market helps local farms, small businesses, makers, bakers, and families. It keeps money closer to home. It also supports food access programs, including SNAP matching programs that help more people buy fresh food while also helping farmers bring in more income.
As Emily said, “It’s so much more than buying.”
That is why farmers markets matter more than ever. They are not just about food. They are about people, place, access, relationships, and community.
GUESTS:
Lisa Surma Borick Nazareth Downtown Manager Nazareth Economic Development Commission / Nazareth Farmers Market
Emily Roland Farmers’ Market Manager Greater Easton Development Partnership / Easton Farmers’ Market
Tired of swiping? Melissa Smith of Balance & Bloom joins us to talk about Date My Mate Lehigh Valley, a new singles mixer coming to Wanderlust Beer Garden in Easton.
The event mixes speed dating, open mic energy, social networking, and a little friendly embarrassment as presenters take the stage to pitch their single friends with short, funny presentations. After that, the room opens up for a mix and mingle where people can meet, talk, and see what happens.
Date My Mate Lehigh Valley takes place Thursday, June 18 from 6 to 9 PM at Wanderlust Beer Garden, 1600 Sullivan Trail in Easton. Tickets are $35 and include entry, the mixer, and one drink.
Girls on the Run has the word “run” right there in the name, but this program is about a lot more than running.
On this episode of the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast, George Wacker is joined by his daughter Dahlia, a first-year Girls on the Run participant at her elementary school, for a conversation with Girls on the Run Lehigh Valley & Pocono Executive Director Liz Fones, coach Jennifer Leffler, and Laney, a program alumna who now gives back as a junior coach.
Yes, there is running. Yes, the season ends with a 5K. But the real work happens during the practices, where trained coaches help participants build confidence, make friends, set goals, talk through emotions, and learn how to handle the kinds of social pressure that can show up early in elementary and middle school.
Liz explains that the program gives girls tools at a critical age, especially as they begin thinking more about how they fit in, what others think of them, and how they see themselves. Jennifer, who has coached for many seasons, talks about helping girls navigate friendships, peer pressure, negative self-talk, and the simple but powerful idea of changing “I can’t do this” into “I can’t do this yet.”
Laney shares how her own experience with Girls on the Run helped her meet new people, build a love of running, and eventually return to the program as a junior coach. She now runs cross-country and track in high school, and talks about how running gives her a way to deal with stress and reset when life feels overwhelming.
Dahlia also shares what she has enjoyed as a first-year participant, including making new friends and getting to be part of something that gives girls a chance to try running in a supportive way.
The episode also looks ahead to the Girls on the Run 5K Celebration at DeSales University on Sunday, May 17. The event brings together girls, coaches, families, running buddies, mascots, music, and plenty of cheering as participants complete the season together.
Girls on the Run Lehigh Valley & Pocono serves communities across the region and is open to girls of all abilities. The organization also emphasizes that financial need should not stop a girl from participating, with scholarships and support available for families.
Todd is a Detroit-based twelve-string guitar player rooted in the pre-war blues tradition, drawing from artists including Blind Willie McTell, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, and others. In this conversation, we talk about what draws him to early folk and blues music, why the twelve-string guitar became such an important part of his sound, and how he approaches songs with deep history behind them.
Todd also talks about country blues as foundational American music, the connection between ragtime, folk, and blues traditions, and what audiences can expect in the intimate listening room setting at Godfrey Daniels.
Todd Albright performs Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 8 p.m. at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, with guest Arthur Terembula opening the night.
Live in the Garden returns to Bethlehem’s Rose Garden for its fifth season this spring and summer, and this episode features three artists from this year’s lineup: Sir Dominique, Mariposas Galacticas, and Wood Flower.
The conversation ties into Next Stage PA, the statewide artist development initiative helping emerging artists grow through performance opportunities, mentorship, and hands-on professional development. In this episode, the artists talk about how their bands took shape, how they think about identity and visuals, what platforms they actually use, and what it takes to promote music and live shows in a way that feels real.
Sir Dominique and Mariposas Galacticas will perform May 16 at Live in the Garden, and Wood Flower will perform June 6.
“It’s really like being dropped into a storm without a map.”
In this episode of Off The Record, George Wacker and Jeff Warren talk healthcare in the Lehigh Valley through the lenses of policy, frontline care, and the patient experience.
Guests:
Mike Schlossberg, Majority Whip in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Denise Williams-Dianna, nurse at St. Luke’s
Alyssa Glaser, co-founder of Life Always Facing Forward
The conversation touches on access to care, prevention, screening, and what treatment can feel like when real life is already heavy.
Greg Piccolo is not just another touring musician coming through Bethlehem. He is one of those rare artists whose career reaches back through decades of American roots music, with a sound and presence that helped define a generation of blues, jazz, R&B, and rock and roll.
The show will be the first time audiences hear songs from his upcoming record performed live. For Piccolo, that matters. He says this project is less about spotlighting himself as a sax player or vocalist and more about finally giving these songs their chance. “It’s about the songs that I wrote,” he says, explaining that many of them had been sitting with him for years, waiting for the right time to be recorded and heard.
He recorded 15 songs for the project and eventually narrowed it down to 11 for the final release. The album is titled Who Knows What the Future Holds and is scheduled for June 19. The Godfrey Daniels performance will give Bethlehem audiences an early listen before the full release arrives.
Piccolo also sings on the record, something that fits naturally with the way he sees his career. He says singing has always been part of what he does, right alongside the horn, and that his work as a songwriter kept pulling him toward material that needed to be voiced in a fuller way.
That makes Godfrey Daniels a fitting place for this stop. The Bethlehem venue has been welcoming artists and audiences since 1976 and is still known for the kind of close-up listening room experience that puts the music right in front of people. For a songwriter bringing new material into the room for the first time, that kind of setting can matter as much as the songs themselves.
For Lehigh Valley listeners, this one is not just a chance to see a veteran musician on stage. It is a chance to hear a new chapter as it starts.
