The Lehigh Valley’s nightlife and dining scene has seen a lot of growth throughout the past year. Several new bars and restaurants have made a big impact here in the Valley and it’s been fun to track the new growth that’s come to our area. Roosevelt’s 21st, The Firehouse, The PigPen, and The Bookstore are just some of the new additions we’ve seen this past year. The past year has also brought a world class casino to our neck of the woods. Despite it’s formidable size, the Sand Casino Resort Bethlehem hasn’t had quite the impact on the Lehigh Valley’s entertainment many of us thought it would.

You may have noticed that the over the past several weeks, the amount of new posts has dwindled down to one or two a week. I wish I could say that that is likely to change for the better, but, unfortunately, it’s not. About two weeks ago I was offered and accepted a job in Atlanta. This week will be my last in the Lehigh Valley for the foreseeable future. At this point in time I have not been able to find anyone interested in taking over the website. Right now my plans are to leave the website up and running, there’s still a lot of usable content here on the site. Our restaurant reviews, list of weekly events and the “Find it here” bar listings will still be helpful for anyone looking for information about entertainment here in the Valley. But at this point no more new content will be posted to the site. I have ownership of the domain name thelvscene.com for at least the next 12 months and will leave the site up until then. If you are interested in taking over the management of this website, let me know. Shoot me an email at lvscene(at)gmail.com and we’ll figure something out.

The past year has been fun, I’ve made a lot of new friends through the site and have had a lot of good times at some of the events you’ve read about here on LV Scene. Thanks for making LV Scene your go to source for news and information about the Lehigh Valley’s nightlife, dining, and entertainment scene. And who knows, maybe things won’t work out in Atlanta. Maybe I’ll be back to start LV Scene 2.0. Stay classy, Lehigh Valley!

And after a year of waiting, the St. Patrick’s Day West End pub crawl is finally here too! Last year’s West End pub crawl was easily the best night out I’ve had all year. I cannot recommend this pub crawl enough!

As you can see from the picture on the right, Allentown’s West End alliance has a bunch of cool events coming up. I suggest you take a look at their Facebook fan page for more information.

But these are just some of the upcoming events that will be going on in the Lehigh Valley. Because if there is one thing we know how to do right in the LV, it’s use a holiday as an excuse to get sloppy drunk. Stay tuned to LV Scene for more information about all the St. Patrick’s Day festivities throughout our area.

UPDATE: The West End pub crawl is this Saturday! If you haven’t already, make plans to participate in my favorite event all year. You do not want to miss this event! See you there!

Ok, back on track. Let’s talk about where you’ll be going to get your Irish on. It’s ok if you’re not sure yet. Neither am I. Let’s figure this out together.

St. Patrick’s Day and Irish pubs go hand-in-hand. There’s a lot to choose from in the area and probably all of them will be packed. Hey, did you know LV Scene has a convenient list of many of the Irish pubs in our area? Check it out by clicking here or going to the “FIND IT HERE” drop down menu at the top of the page.

A blue collar holiday like St. Patrick’s Day means local neighborhood establishments will be as crowded as the Irish pubs are. My first choice for Wednesday would be any of the bars in the West End of Allentown. Liberty St. Tavern, Callaghan’s, and Stooge’s should all have really good crowds. And by “really good crowds” I, of course, mean really drunk crowds.

But if you’re looking for a bigger party, probably all of the major bars in the area will be throwing something. Here’s some info about a few.

The Firehouse – Bethlehem – Green Bash – No cover, wear the color green and get a free shot! Featuring, Coors Light girls & Kiliian’s Girls, LEECHBOY from 6-10PM on guitar, DJ What & DJ Cyn form 10pm – 2am. $1.50-green Coors Light drafts, $3 Jameson shots, $5 car bombs.

Starter’s Riverport – Bethlehem – The Green Party – 20+, no cover, Cap Cee in the mix. $5 car bombs, $2 Dirty Girl Scouts, $3 Bud Light, $2.50 Coors Light.

There you have it, my take on St. Patrick’s Day in the Lehigh Valley. What are your thoughts? Where do you plan on being this Wednesday?

Hookah Turka is having a two night grand opening event this weekend that is sure to be the talk of the town. There’s a $5 cover charge and you can expect a DJ and live belly dancing. For all the details, head to either the Facebook event page or their website.

Thursday – March 4, 2010

Associated Mess Live Improv Comedy – Pitcher’s Sports Bar – Allentown – The best/only live improv comedy in the Lehigh Valley. $8 or $5 with college ID. Cheap beer, too!

Friday – March 5, 2010

White Trash Bash – Drinky’s – Easton – “107 The Bone’s Scotty Brilliant and DJ Dangerous Dan. Dress “Trashy” in your wife beaters, trucker hats, etc. for $2 Shots All Night! $4 Red Bull & Vodkas All Day, $2 Any Pint (10-12). No Cover Charge.”

Saturday – March 6, 2010

One Night in Vegas – Starter’s Riverport – Bethlehem – DJ Roonie G is back at Starter’s Riverport. So if you missed the first One Night in Vegas, have no fear, One Night in Vegas Vol. 3 should do the trick.

The night starts at 7PM and is open to anyone looking to show off their singing, spoken word, or comedy abilities. Need any more information?  Check out the Facebook event page.

Five reality TV stars are making a pit stop Saturday night at the PigPen in Allentown which makes this your chance to party with 12 Pack from I Love New York and Lil’ Hood from For the Love of Ray J. All the important information can be found at the Facebook event page. No word on drink specials at this point, but I’m sure they’ll throw something your way.

Friday – February 19, 2010

The Firehouse – Bethlehem – Pre-Mardi Party – No cover, dress to impress. DJ $weetlife mixing video and music. $2 Miller Lite Bottles, $2 Kamikaze Shots, and $5 Hurricanes.

Saturday – February 20, 2010

Starter’s Riverport – Bethlehem – Masque 2 – Audio Dynamikz is “bringing Bourbon St to Bethlehem”, no cover, bead contest with a cash prize, complimentary beads and mask will be provided.

The Firehouse – Bethlehem – Bourbon Street on Broadway – $1.50 Coors Lite drafts, $2 Coors Lite bottles, and $2 bourbon shots

Mothers Bar & Grill – Easton – Fat Tuesday – No Cover, DJ Dangerous Dan, $1.99 Soco Lime Shots, $1.99 Domestic Drafts, lots of beads.

Roosevelt’s 21st – Bethlehem – 1st Annual Fat Tuesday Party – DJ JJ Sands, $1.99 SoCo Lime Shots, $1.99 Domestic Drafts, Trivia 7-10.

Pigpen Sports Bar – Allentown – Mardi Gras Party – Tons of stuff going on at the PigPen, check out theFacebook event page for all the info.

The Firehouse – Bethlehem – Fat Tuesday Party – DJ SYNYSTR in the mix 10-2. $1.50 Coors Light Drafts, $2 Coors Light Bottles, $2 Bourbon Shots, $100 for girls with the most beads and free Beads for everyone all night

Scroll on down to the “blue box” below this post and click where it says “Mardi Gras Party Roundup”. That title is actually a bit misleading, there are lots of ideas there that aren’t Mardi Gras related. I think you might find something of interest to you. Have a great weekend!