Well, summer of 2021 is quickly coming to an end. I think most people had a goal to try and salvage as much mirth and joy as possible in the wake of Covid-19.
We managed to partake of some chill times at Musikfest 2021 in Bethlehem, PA. Several people mentioned they trekked out to see Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish fame, with Facebook pics surfacing.
I didn’t catch Hootie’s performance unfortunately (last time he was in my neck of the woods was University of Scranton 1995). But I did step out for the smooth musical stylings of Alex Radus and friends on the last day of Musikfest. One day I’d like to do a full feature of Alex’s music on this blog, but for now I’m just going to share some pics from our day out.
The music scene behind the Sun Inn… great spot, great view, and you could mill about or take a seat directly in front of the stage. If I find out the name of this talented violinist, I’ll update this post with her information. Alex also welcomed Pyrenesia to the stage, but I had ventured off to bring my son some age-appropriate entertainment at that time.
Bethlehem is such a great town, steeped in history, dotted with stone architecture and brimming with artistic talent. It’s definitely got its own flavor. We settled into our corner of Musikfest, tucked into an out-of-the-way spot behind the Sun Inn. There was beer, food, and general merriment.
Beyond that, taking a walk around Bethlehem brought such delights as handcrafted confections from their resident chocolatier, a wander through the art gallery, the tail end of a blacksmithing tutorial from a man in period garb offering his own 1700s historical throwback, and a trek down to the kids’ area to explore the amusements.
Here’s the blacksmith, giving us all a lesson in… blacksmithery. 😀
There, we watched people flying through the air on what I assume is some kind of bungee jumping contraption, more people rolling around in what looked like an inflatable hamster ball trying to knock each other over (I saw the toy version of this in Target 3 days later), and of course the usual Musikfest crew of artisans peddling their handcrafted wares.
Good thing I have my son to explain to me things like how this smart phone amplifier works to magnify sound! And here I thought someone left behind their cell phone accidentally. 🙂
Hopefully next year I’ll make it to Musikfest for more of the actual music. But it was still great to take in this celebratory scene on a chill summer afternoon! Thank you to the town of Bethlehem, PA for welcoming us into your world of sensory delights.
For more information about the music of Alex Radus, visit AlexRadus.com.
The Godfrey Daniels Listening Room is located in Bethlehem, PA.
Musikfest runs every summer in Bethlehem, PA and you can learn more on their website here.