We are truly a music nation. Very few Americans make it through their summer without attending a tune-infused festival of some sort. Some can relate to packing their life into a tiny bag and road tripping it from one stage to the next, hitting well known music gatherings as Coachella or Bonnaroo. For those who aren’t among the fortunate friend brigades bouncing across the country, there are plenty of festivals in your own backyard for enjoying.
As a Berks County resident in my younger years, it’s hard to ignore the 10 days of 15 stages and over 500 performances that many have learned to love as Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA. The bonus? It’s free to enter and tasty fair foods on festival grounds are abundant. While the eats are delicious and unique at every turn, the most fascinating aspect is often the music scene. I am always blown away by the event’s organizer, Artsquest, and their ability to place stages throughout the relatively tiny town so one performance is not disturbed by the other.
Being a food lover at heart, the endless drool-worthy options from original vendors always keeps me returning when my schedule permits. However, Musikfest’s food scene took on a whole new meaning this year thanks to a few stationary spots away from the hustle and bustle.
Don’t get me wrong, I still hungrily hopped my way through the crowds, kicking things off with Foodstuffs’ Slovak offerings. I opted for the Halupki, a cooked cabbage leaf chock-full of ground beef, rice, various vegetables and topped off with a tomato sauce. I could tell it had been slow cooking all day and worked as the perfect comfort food to prepare my belly for what was about to come.
Next, my festival comrade and I made a beeline toward “Aw-Shucks” Roasted Corn. It’s always a festival favorite and I’m never afraid of being clumped into that loyal label. I’m not sure what farmer provides the produce for their magic meal on a cob but they most likely reserve an entire field just for this event. The family owned business from Allentown, PA posts up a few spots throughout Musikfest and serves to the masses their deliciously roasted super sweet corn brushed with butter, and their “secret family blend” of southwest spice and parmesan cheese.
Fried Plantains from The Melting Pot was conveniently located on our way toward Take A Taco’s Main Street Stand. We downed the tasty banana-like fritters before finishing the quick quarter mile walk from one stand to the other.
Take-A-Taco was delicious as always. The Chicken Taco with their signature hot sauce sucked the last of our food tickets away. I suggest always enjoying their world famous offerings with the perfectly spiced condiment. The taco is fairly large, meat is tender and usual fillings are fresh. At that point, I was ready for a refreshing beverage and a walking break.
We decided not to purchase the ever-popular Musikfest mug, which you see almost every festival goer over 21 toting around. You can grab them at designated stations and fill up with Musikfest’s offerings around the grounds. If you do decide to shell out $10 for the refillable mug, keep it handy for next year since they are forever re-usable. I even ran into a woman drinking from her 1997 cup. Also, don’t be blinded by the festival’s limited beer offerings. There are plenty of restaurants pouring different varieties and sometimes at a better price.
One of those out of the ordinary pouring sites was Bethlehem Brew Works. We stopped, regardless of our lack of mugs, visited the bar and parked our full bellies at an outdoor table that was surprisingly available amidst the Main Street action. Music carried on in the background and jolly groups passed as I sipped on my strong golden ale (Devil’s Hearth) and my partner enjoyed his Fegley’s ESB. Those particular beers weren’t available for Musikfest mugs but we still received a nice keepsake plastic cup that we could carry around and use at other stops.
We spied a little bit of Philly across the way on a sign for the Sun Inn. It proudly displayed Victory Brewing Company’s Prima Pils for $5. Although we passed through their empty patio earlier, the space now seemed to be filling up with a lively crowd and a band preparing to play. We were lucky again to snag two perfect front row seats and a table for the Brother Louv performance, which wasn’t part of Musikfest’s line-up but on Sun Inn’s personal schedule. Their music was top notch and perfectly paired with the cold Victory beer on a hot summer day. They played a mix of covers and originals while the sky slowly transformed to a peaceful evening color. It was a soothing but powerful set of tunes. In my eyes, this was a band destined for stardom if they handled their cards right.
The ambience and Victory beer made it hard to leave but we pulled ourselves away, a Prima Pils in hand for the trek making it much easier. It was our goal to find another resting spot, only much closer to the shuttle pick-up station so we wouldn’t miss the last trip to our car at 11:30pm.
The final chill spot happened to be The Wooden Match, an old train station turned restaurant where smoking a cigar was almost mandatory. Well, not really but I did see most male patrons lighting up. I loved the classic manly demeanor of the smoke filled bar where customers puffed on their stogies even during a urinal visit (I was informed by a reliable source). Music was still surrounding us at every earshot with a late night band inside and out.
I chose Bell’s Two Hearted Ale to cap off the evening of beers and agreed to my partner’s suggestion that a late night snack was fitting. Although the place was crawling inside and out with eager Musikfesters in search of food, song and drink, our service was remarkably friendly and fast.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off the Cuban Pork Rolls Ups and tend to lean toward late night spice so those and a half portion of the Angry Birds (hot wings) completed our order. They were placed on the table quickly but probably eaten even quicker. The Wooden Match couldn’t have been more spot on when describing the Roll Ups as “the bastard child of an egg roll, a burrito, and a Cuban Sandwich.” The combination of pork, refried beans, cheddar cheese, corn and salsa inside a perfectly fried flour tortilla was delicious enough to earn a spot on my personal top ten favorite appetizers list. I’m not sure who got booted off yet as a result.
Before we knew it the returning shuttle trip was a mere 30 minutes away so we sucked our drafts dry, chomped the last of our appetizers and headed outside. There was still time left to take shelter from the rain under their extended porch and catch a last minute cover band performance out back.
It was an eye opening moment to think I had been to Musikfest for so many years and never had an experience such as that. It just goes to show that the festival is constantly evolving and truly has something to offer for each age group. I’m excited to see what I discover in 2013 and, although that year is destined to include new findings, there’s a good chance I’ll return for my Devil’s Hearth, Prima Pils, and Cuban Pork Roll Ups with a side of Bell’s American style IPA.
