Saturday, August 8. My last day at Musikfest.

It was hot, I was tired, and I wanted to enjoy as much music as possible.

My first stop was at Plaza Tropical, where Inkwell had a variety show going on. I walked in to hear a killer sax solo, and then a comedian. Unfortunately, I didn’t get their names. Inkwell is an incredible venue on Hamilton Street. They have all kinds of artists – musicians, comedians, spoken word. They are keeping original talent alive and that, to me, is a great thing.

I wanted to head to Festplatz, but first… I needed nourishment. A chicken taco from Aqui Es did the trick.

At Festplatz, I got to see some polka dancing in action while All the Kings Men: A Jolly Joe Timmer Tribute played. Jolly Joe Timmer was a Lehigh Valley polka legend who passed away in 2015. His music and legend lives on with All the Kings Men.

Lagerplatz was my next stop where I saw Koyal, a pop group from L.A. The fun part about them is they are not just musicians; they met in college, where they earned engineering degrees! I could easily hear them being played in a club or on the radio. Smart AND talented!

It was time to head up that darn hill to Hotel Bethlehem platz to see Cass Noelle. She has been a Lehigh Valley staple for years, and had the crowd to prove it. Her voice is amazing, and she did a lot of pop covers acoustic style, as well as her own songs. There were a few raindrops that decided to come down, but that didn’t deter her or the crowd! After I sat there a bit, I headed even further up the hill to Main Street (platz?) to see Ted Donatelli, formerly of the Aardvarks.

Ted was the drummer for the ‘varks, but on this stage played guitar, keyboard, and sang covers from all genres. This man clearly needs to be behind the microphone! There are very few artists I say this about, but he could sing Google and it would sound great. This was made clear by the size of the crowd.

It was time to head back home, but I made one more quick stop at Lagerplatz, where DMac (Dan MacRae) was entertaining the crowd. A little country, a little folk, and a smooth pleasant voice was the perfect way to end my Musikfest day. Hot and tired once again, I hopped the shuttle to the Southside and headed home.

This was such an incredible experience. As I was walking around doing my thing, I was in complete awe over what was in front of me, behind me, next to me. There aren’t many places you can go to for 10 days once a year and pay NOTHING to get in, and see so many different bands, so many different genres. Every year, when the list of performers comes out, I hear the same thing, – “This is Bethlehem. Why aren’t there a lot of local bands playing?”

There are. They are absolutely there. But, what makes this unique is the artists from around the country that come perform. One night, I was going to make a point to go see a popular Lehigh Valley act, but then I thought, “I can see them any time. Let me check out something new.” And I’m glad I did! While I did see quite a few local acts, I saw just as many not-so-local.

Also, the shuttle rides between the North and South sides have really been improved with the addition of LANTA buses. There was no better feeling after a long, hot day than hopping on that air conditioned shuttle and relaxing for about 10-15 minutes. And, on every shuttle ride, everyone was friendly. There was nothing but friends on there! Yes, they were friends we haven’t met and may never see each other again. There was a special camaraderie going on. Everyone had that one end goal – to have a great time. And clearly, everyone did.

Until next year, Musikfest. This is Rockin’ Ronnie, Underground Music Collective’s Lehigh Valley Correspondent.