When work is done and thoughts turn toward leisure activities, Greater Hazleton shines once again.

The community offers an endless variety of activities and diversions for education or enjoyment. The people of Greater Hazleton recognize the value of preserving, studying, encouraging, and cultivating the cultural and artistic resources in our area.

Throughout the region are a variety of theaters, music, museums, art galleries, and historical sites that add to the richness and diversity of our cultural community.

The First Union Arena at Casey Plaza, a short drive north of Greater Hazleton, is already home to many great performances, despite its short history.

Noted entertainer Elton John liked the arena so much that he returned for two performances in six months; one show was one of only three he performed with his reunited band. Others taking to the arena's stage were Neil Diamond, Bon Jovi, Alan Jackson, Andy Williams, Def Leppard, Sting, AC/DC, 98° and many others.

Also north of Greater Hazleton is Montage Mountain. In the summer, this ski resort comes alive with musical performances by big-name artists and groups. Performers who've played the outdoor amphitheater at Montage include KISS, Harry Connick Jr., Britney Spears, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Kenny Rogers, James Taylor, the Allman Brothers, and 'N Sync.

The Hazleton Philharmonic Society provides musical entertainment, children's summer workshops, classical music training, and more from a concert hall and convention center in downtown Hazleton. In the summer, free performances are held at an outdoor band shell minutes away in the Drums valley.

The Community Concert Association also brings symphony orchestras, dance ensembles, instrumentalists, operatic and musical theater performances to Greater Hazleton during its annual concert season. Past performances have included symphony orchestras, dance ensembles, instrumentalists, and operatic and musical performances.

For those with musical talents to share, the local repertoire includes groups such as the Valley Vocals, Choralairs, and a chapter of the Barbershoppers.

This region of Pennsylvania is home to the third-largest symphonic orchestra in the state, the Northeastern Philharmonic. This professional 80-piece orchestra performs a series of subscription concerts in the Greater Wilkes-Barre and Scranton areas from September through April. The Philharmonic occasionally takes the stage with performers at other venues; for instance, they performed with the rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears at Montage.

For those who like to get on the stage themselves, the MPB Community Players is a community-based theater for Hazleton-area residents of all ages. The Players give two performances a year, and there's plenty of opportunities for everyone to get involved, from divas to set designers to carpenters. The MPB group also produces the productions of Holy Spirit Academy, a local Catholic school. Other community theater groups, including the Nuremberg Community Players and the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts, provide cultural activity year-round.

Dance companies and schools thrive in our area. Greater Hazleton is home to many children's dance companies which teach everything from ballet and tap to folk and modern dancing. Studios like Facettes of Dance, Faberge Follies and the Hazleton School of Dance hold annual recitals and often perform in various community events.

In Wilkes-Barre, Ballet Theatre Pennsylvania is the third-largest professional ballet company in the state and the resident dance company of the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts on Public Square, where you'll find 1930s-era art decor in an 1,800-seat auditorium and a mezzanine gallery.
Ballet Northeast is a classical and modern ballet company that presents a variety of performances throughout the year. This not-for-profit corporation is committed to the professional development of local young dancers and is accredited by the Northeast Regional Ballet Association.

The region boasts a number of community theatre groups, such as The Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. Founded in 1922, The Little Theatre is the oldest community theatre in the United States, performing and presenting four shows during its season from September to June, and holding a summer workshop for high school students. The Showcase Theatre, which is the area's only arena theatre, has the same season as The Little Theatre and presents a varied and challenging range of plays and musicals. And The Music Box Dinner Playhouse is home to The Music Box Players who perform 10 full productions each season, with each production following a full buffet meal.

Scranton's Broadway Theatre League, about an hour north of Greater Hazleton, brings professional traveling Broadway productions to the Scranton Cultural Center.

Besides these venues and more, all local college campuses offer cultural programs that are open to the public.

The Hazleton Art League - www.hazletonartleague.org - has been the cultural cornerstone of the area for over four decades and each year can be counted upon to provide a regular diet of educational programs, exhibits and workshops on such diverse subjects as painting, drawing, stained glass, photography, gourmet cooking and more. The league sponsors a regional art exhibit and an annual exhibition of artwork from local schools.

The Hazleton Art League has been the cultural epicenter of Greater Hazleton for decades. Each year the League provides a regular diet of exhibits, workshops, and educational programs on topics like painting, drawing, stained glass, photography, gourmet cooking, and more. The League also sponsors regional art exhibits and an annual exhibit of artwork from local schools.

There are a significant number of art galleries in the region that feature artists of both local and national renown, including Betty Bryden Wills, Frederick Bartlett, and Sue Hand.

The Sordoni Art Gallery in Wilkes-Barre hosts nine exhibitions in its eleven-month season, all of which are available to the public free of charge. The Marquis George MacDonald Art Gallery features a wide variety of exhibits throughout the year that are also free of charge, as does The Kilburn Room at King's College, the Linder Art Gallery at Keystone College, the Suraci Gallery and Contemporary Galleries at Marywood College, and the Art Gallery at the University of Scranton. The Everhart Museum at Nay Aug Park in Scranton schedules a variety of art exhibits in addition to its permanent collection of art, science and natural history.

Few festivals can rival Funfest, Greater Hazleton's annual celebration. Funfest attracts hundreds of local, regional, and national performers for a weekend of fun in downtown Hazleton. Buffalo wing competitions, talent shows, a craft fair, vintage and muscle car displays, and more are the preludes to a parade and spectacular fireworks show. But the best part about Funfest is that the entire event helps local non-profit community groups who set up booths in an effort to raise funds. It's a good time for many good causes.

The area's ethnic and religious heritage is apparent all year long, but is never more obvious than during the summer months when every weekend a different church, with a different historic and ethnic background, conducts its own colorful street festival. These festivals feature the best in homemade cooking, entertainment and traditions.

Many area churches and other community resources support themselves and these efforts to keep tradition alive by holding bazaars every year. People from all over the region attend these events for entertainment that includes local bands, games of chance, and an opportunity to try different ethnic foods and typical local favorites, like potato pancakes, funnel cakes, pierogies, and pizza.

One of the bazaars that brings a community together is Valley Day in the Conyngham Valley. This weekend of fun combines ol' fashioned games and contests with outstanding food, such as roasted fresh corn on the cob.

On a grander scale, most Greater Hazleton residents join hundreds of thousands of others to attend the Bloomsburg Fair every fall. This fair is the largest in Pennsylvania, with displays honoring the region's agricultural heritage. There are also cooking contests, arts and crafts contests, big-name musical entertainment, amusement rides, and more.