Musikfest begins Friday night

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - August 5, 2010

Hundreds of performances, most of them free.

It's music from 'A' to 'Z' - Afrobeat to Zydeco.

And the big name acts this year include Adam Lambert, Counting Crows, Nora Jones, The Doobie Brothers, Lynyrd Skyner, Blue Oyster Cult and dozens more.

"480 live musical performance, 10 outdoor venues, 4 indoor vehicles, 65 food vendors, and some wonderful other surprises and entertainment," Artsquest President Jeffrey Parl said.

Musikfest isn't confined to just the festival grounds. It spills out onto Main Street which is transformed into a pedestrian mall. More than a million visitors give this town a big boost.

"It is a serious shot in the arm for us economically, anywhere from the restaurants to the shops on Main Street to the vendors that are at the fair, it means real jobs," Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan said.

Just about every hotel room in the region is booked for the next ten days.

Bethlehem is an easy drive from both Philadelphia and New York which has helped Musikfest grow into a major festival since 1984.

It puts Bethlehem on the map.

Counting Crows kicks it off tomorrow night.

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