CROP WALK: The 39th annual Bethlehem Area CROP Walk will take place Sunday, Oct. 13, with registration at 1 p.m. near the Sand Island basketball courts and step-off at 1:30. Bikes, strollers and canine companions are all welcome, and you can walk (run, jog, skip) one, two, or all 2.7 miles. To register for or make a contribution to the walk, please go to the BTLC@R CROP Walk website.

POLITICAL LISTENING: As political divides deepen in the United States, many Americans feel the tension not just in public debates but within their own families and friendships. The Bethlehem Area Public Library (BAPL) is addressing this challenge with a special workshop, Strategies for Listening Across the American Political Divide, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at BAPL Coolidge, located at 2740 Fifth Street in Bethlehem Township. Led by Dr. Abigail Michelini, Assistant Professor of English at Northampton Community College, this interactive workshop offers practical tools for listening and engaging in meaningful conversations across political differences. For registration and more details, contact Regina Kochmaruk at (484) 892-6267 or via email at rkochmaruk@bapl.org.

FIRE PREVENTION: The City of Bethlehem Fire Department Fire Prevention Week 2024 will partner with the American Red Cross in a “Sound the Alarm” event. The two organizations will canvass neighbors, knocking on doors to ensure that dwellings have working smoke alarms and educating people about home fire safety.

Visit the department’s city web pages at bethlehem-pa.gov/Fire and the local /regional American Red Cross at redcross.org/local/pennsylvania/greater-pennsylvania/about-us/our-work/home-fire-campaign.html for free smoke detectors, information and news.

Wednesday, Oct. 2

Wednesday Dance with Johnny K. 1 to 3 p.m. Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 W. Elm St., Allentown. Information: call 610-437-3700 or visit lvactivelife.org/

Wednesday, Oct. 2 to Sunday, Oct. 6

Touchstone Theatre’s Festival UnBound five days of performances, hands-on workshops and more in venues and outdoor spaces all over Bethlehem. Most events are free.

Wednesday, Oct. 2: 4:30- 6 p.m.: Kinetic light integrated dance workshop-level 1 by DeSales University open to disabled and nondisabled dancers of all experience and ages. 7-8:30 p.m. Advance kinetic light dance descent workshop (advanced) for experienced and non-experienced.

Thursday, Oct. 3 and Friday, Oct. 4: 6 -8 p.m.: Twilight – Rose Garden Odessy; 8-9 :30 p.m.: expert led guided tour- star gazing.

Saturday, Oct. 5: Sand Island boat launch, more.

Sunday, Oct. 6: Festival closing events. 321 E. Fourth St. and environs. Visit touchstone.org or call 610-867-1689 for schedules, sites and nore information.

Thursday, Oct. 3

Lehigh Valley Pops Orchestra. Conductor Ron DeGrandis. 9 to 10:30 a.m. Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 W. Elm St., Allentown, 18102. Information: call 610-437-3700 or visit lvactivelife.org/

Lehigh Valley Pop Music Jam Session. Conductor: Stephen Cee. 1 p.m. 1633 W. Elm St., Allentown. Information: call 610-437-3700 or visit lvactivelife.org/

Current Events Informal Discussion Group.Moderator: David M. Bell. World, national, state and local topics. Free. 2 p.m. Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 W. Elm St., Allentown, 18102. Information: call 610-437-3700 or visit lvactivelife.org/

Friday, Oct. 4

Elm Street Jazz Workshop Rehearsals: 9 a.m. Director: Allan Meyerson. 1633 W. Elm St., Allentown. Free to members. Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 W. Elm St., Allentown. Call 610-437-3700 for information or visit lvactivelife.org/

Life Sharing Discussion Group. Begins with a question chosen by the group and ends with even more questions. Free to members. 1 to 3 p.m. Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 W. Elm St., Allentown. Information: call 610-437-3700 or visit lvactivelife.org/

First Friday: Visit southsideartsdistrict.com/event/first-friday-october; General information and schedules: southsideartsdistrict.com/

Banana Factory Arts Center. Exhibitions, art demonstrations, live music & bar, open artist studios. 6 to 9 p.m. 25 W. Third St.

Venture X Bethlehem: LINC social hour. Stop by, play games etc. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Suite 110, first floor lobby, 306 S. New St.

Live music: 7 to 10 p.m. Five Maidens Cider Co. 327 Polk St.

Live music: Family of strangers. Once billed as the best unsigned band on the East Coast in the mid-1980s (facebook.com/people/Family-Of-Strangers). 8 p.m. Godfrey Daniel’s, 7 E. Fourth St. Ticketed event / cost; visit godfreydaniels.org/event/family-of-strangers-bethlehem-first-friday-october-4-2024

Professional Alumni Exhibit: Arta Brito and Nate Devarie. Free second reception, 6 to 8 p.m. Part of the Southside Arts Districts’s First Friday celebrations. For private viewing appointments, call 610-868-2971. Both are Charter Arts alumni. ‘Till‘till Oct. 11. Corpora Gallery, Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, 321 E. Third St., 18015. More information at CharterArts.org.