Hello everyone!

June marks the official arrival of summer, and here in Luzerne County, our calendar is jam-packed with great events, including the Wilkes-Barre Cavalcade of Jazz, which takes place on June 6-8 at various venues throughout Wilkes-Barre, including the gorgeous F.M. Kirby Center. Performers include rising jazz star Endea Owens (as seen on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”) and the critically acclaimed Cindy Bradley. The Cavalcade of Jazz helps celebrate the fact that, in 1951, Wilkes-Barre was the home of America’s first jazz festival. For a full schedule of all the greats acts that will be performing, venues, and ticket info, visitwww.wilkesbarrecavalcadeofjazz.org. The Wilkes-Barre Cavalcade of Jazz is the topic of Episode #6 of Next Stop: The Visit Luzerne County Podcast, which you can listen to on Spotify and YouTube!

Also in June, Visit Luzerne County is proud to be partnering with the City of Hazleton to present the second annual “Rockin’ The Mountain” music series at Hazleton’s City View Park. The music series, a companion to the annual “Rockin’ The River” series in Wilkes-Barre, will feature The Key of G. Live: A Tribute to Garth Brooks, on June 27. Four additional shows will be held throughout the summer, and we are excited to help bring these five great nights of live music and family fun to Southern Luzerne County!

On June 13-14, it’s the return of the scrumptious Edwardsville Pierogi Festival, which not only includes great food, but also rides, games and live music. And the annual Riverfest will take place at Nesbitt Park from June 20-22. This great event, which celebrates the history and beauty of the Susquehanna River, offers food vendors, live music, information booths and opportunities to kayak on the Susquehanna. On June 22, the annual Pridefest celebration and parade will take place at Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square. This event, hosted by the NEPA Rainbow Alliance, is centered on the LGBTQ+ community and its pillars of education, support, and advocacy. In addition to the parade, there will be information booths and public speakers Visit Luzerne County is a proud sponsor of the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival, Riverfest and Pridefest.

On June 7, the legendary Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic will present “Simply the Best: A Tribute to Tina Turner,” in the Keystone Grand Ballroom of the Mohegan Pennsylvania casino. Performed by a trio of singers including two-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Tamika Lawrence and Broadway’s Shaleah Adkisson, “Simply the Best” celebrates the stories and songs that made Tina Turner one of the greatest pop, soul and R&B artists of all-time.

On June 14 and 15, Eckley Miners’ Village will host its 35th annual Patchtown Days, which features hands-on history, handmade crafts, live music and dance, trade demonstrations, reenactments, and more. To learn all about Eckley, including its rich history and its annual events, check out Episode #4 of Next Stop: The Luzerne County Podcast, which is linked here: Next Stop: Episode 4: Bode Morin.

On June 8, at the F.M. Kirby Center, you can catch Kevin James, the former star of “The King of Queens,” who will bring his rousing stand-up routine to the stage. The 1978 film classic “Grease” returns to the big screen at The Kirby on June 11 and The Magic of Motown will bring lots of pop, soul, and R&B to The Kirby stage on June 13. On June 19, you can enjoy Josh Gates Live! at The Kirby, where the host of the Discovery Channel series, “Expedition Unknown” will set out on a fun and fascinating global journey to explore archaeological discoveries, historic mysteries, and scientific breakthroughs.

Up for some baseball? The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders – the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees - have 13 home games at PNC Field this month and Visit Luzerne County will be there on June 12 when the RailRiders take on Syracuse. We’ll have an information table on the concourse and Gaye Nowak, a member of the Visit Luzerne County team, will be throwing out a ceremonial first pitch. Of course, with the arrival of summer you’ll also want to get our and explore some of Luzerne County’s great nature trails, such as Ricketts Glen State Park and The Seven Tubs. And you can also catch “Party On The Patio” with great tribute acts every Thursday night a Mohegan Pennsylvania.

And, finally, we’d like to congratulate all of the high school graduates that will be sporting caps and gowns this month and all of those earning degrees from Wilkes University, King’s College, Misericordia University, Luzerne County Community College, Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Penn State Hazleton. We celebrate not only the graduates, but also their families and the fine schools that make Luzerne County a great place to pursue a higher education.

Congrats!

Alan, Kyle, Gaye and David

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For a list of all events going on in May, visit the events calendar on our website. Click the picture above for more information.