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From the top of South Mountain to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem board member Dylan Stroup is preparing to climb Africa’s highest mountain while raising $50,000 for local kids through his Climb for Kids campaign.

We joined Dylan on South Mountain to talk about the personal goal that started the journey, the six months of training behind it, and why he decided that reaching the summit should also benefit the community around him.

Dylan shares how long aerobic workouts, balance exercises, loaded hikes, and repeated climbs up Blue Mountain have prepared him for the challenge. He also talks about the family and friends who inspired him, the community that has joined the campaign, and his belief that success should be measured by the impact we have on others.

The Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem has served local children and teens since 1930. Today, more than 650 young people rely on its educational, recreational, and character-development programs.

Donate to Climb for Kids:

Learn more:

Join Dylan’s final training climb at Blue Mountain on Saturday, July 25:

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Singer-songwriter Alex Radus joins Lehigh Valley with Love ahead of Songcraft in the Round at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem on Thursday, July 16.

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.

Tickets and info:

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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.

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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.

Learn more at endcitizensunited.org. 

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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.

Learn more or book a stay: https://paintedpetal.com/

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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.

More information about The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem: https://theyogaloftofbethlehem.com/

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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.

so annMore info and tickets:

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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.

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The final episode of You Bet Your Garden is now available through WDIY. Listen and learn more at https://www.wdiy.org/show/you-bet-your-garden.

Wishing Mike well and thanking him for decades of smart, funny, fiercely organic advice.

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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.

Learn more about the festival at https://pashakespeare.org/

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“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 BorickNazareth Downtown ManagerNazareth Economic Development Commission / Nazareth Farmers Market

Emily RolandFarmers’ Market ManagerGreater Easton Development Partnership / Easton Farmers’ Market

WEBSITES:

Nazareth Farmers Market:https://nazarethfarmersmarket.com

Nazareth Economic Development Commission:https://nazarethpanow.com

Easton Farmers’ Market:https://eastonfarmersmarket.com

Greater Easton Development Partnership:https://eastonpartnership.org

HOSTS:

George WackerLehigh Valley with Love Media

Jeff WarrenCo-host, Off The Record with Lehigh Valley with LoveNorthampton County CommissionerHost of The Philly Sports Table

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