5 Things to Know Today

Good morning, Bethlehem.

1. Today is Thursday, June 23, 2011, 43 days until . Lots of notable people celebrating birthdays today: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; American Idol judge Randy Jackson; Academy Award and Tony Award-winning actress Frances McDormand; noted television and comic book writer, Joss Whedon; Welsh singer-songwriter, Duffy, and last, but certainly not least, Norman Nerl, my dad, who taught me most of everything I know about music and baseball. Happy Birthday, Dad!
2. The Best Book Sale in the Valley, the sale, begins today at noon in the basement of the main branch. According to this Patch blog by the library’s James Talarico, this sale will feature a few rare books, including a collection of unusual Japanese engravings, in addition to the normal pile of bargains for beach reading that frequent sale visitors have come to expect.
3. Tonight is the final concert of the season in the free “Tunes at Twilight” series in the . She Said Sunday, named the best rock cover band by the Lehigh Valley Music Awards in each of the last two years, will play starting at 6 p.m.
4. The RiverJazz Festival at SteelStacks rolls on for its second day at the ArtsQuest campus. The Dan DeChelis Trio plays a free show at the Air Products Town Square beginning at 6 p.m. At 7:30, the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orleans takes the stage in the Musikfest Café. Tickets at $49 and $35 are still available. If you love jazz in the New Orleans style, this is one you don’t want to miss.
5. The Four Tops and The Temptations, those legendary rhythm & blues groups from the heyday of Motown Records, plays in the 2,000-seat tent next to the at 7:30 p.m. as part of its Musik at the Sands series to benefit ArtsQuest. Hopefully, thunderstorms, which are in today’s forecast, .