Northwestern Press

Little Orphan Annie is taking center stage May 16 and 19 at the Jewish Community Center, Allentown.

Stagemakers at the J is presenting “Annie Jr.,” a musical about a little redheaded girl searching for her parents who left her at the doorsteps of an orphanage run by the coldhearted Ms. Hannigan.

Set on finding her parents, Annie lightens up everyone’s heart in 1930s New York City.

Her constant attempts to foil Ms. Hannigan eventually pay off when she finds a new home and family with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, and his personal assistant Grace Farrell.

Stagemakers at the J, the Jewish Community Center, Allentown, is presenting “Peter Pan Jr.,” a magical musical filled with mermaids, Indians, sneaky pirates, fairy dust and childrenwho can fly.

John and Michael Darling love listening to their sister, Wendy, tell them stories every night about a boy named Peter Pan who refuses to grow up and lives in Neverland.

Little do they know Peter also listens from outside their window. But, one night when the Darlings’ dog nursemaid Nana grabs Peter’s shadow, he returns to get it back and countless adventures begin.

Stagemakers at the J will be presenting “The Lion King Jr.,” a heartwarming, coming-of-age musical about an African lion named Simba, who discovers the true meaning of love, courage and loyalty at the Jewish Community Center, Allentown.

Simba’s father Mufasa is the king, which gives Simba sovereign claim to the throne.

But Simba has a jealous, power-hungry uncle, Scar, who is determined to be king one day.

After Scar falsely convinces Simba he was responsible for Mufasa’s death, Simba runs away.

Stagemakers at the J will perform “Once Upon a Mattress” 7 p.m. May 10 and 13; and at 2 p.m. May 13 at the Jewish Community Center, Allentown.

The play is about King Sextimus, who due to a curse, is unable to speak. And, his unappealing wife, Queen Aggravain, has taken control of the kingdom.

She is determined to keep their son, Prince Dauntless, from ever getting married. The only way a princess can ever become the prince’s betrothed is by passing a rigorous sensitivity test designed by the queen.

And no one in the kingdom may get married until Prince Dauntless weds.

Carly Kudryk, a prekindergarten student at The Swain School, Salisbury Township, turned 5 on Feb. 21.

She celebrated her birthday in a unique way March 10 at Revolutions, Bethlehem, by donating her party to charity.

She was inspired by a campaign called “BirthdayBack,” a program started by Tyler Fazzari of Long Island, N.Y.

In 2012, after Hurricane Sandy, Tyler wanted to donate his 8th birthday to a charity that helped hurricane recovery efforts, which some of his own family were personally affected by.

Imagine choosing to add more joy to one’s life each day.

That is the vision of Nancy Werteen, a resident of the Parkland School District, and Kim Howie of Center Valley, authors of the book, “The Power of a Pivot.”

In their book, Werteen and Howie offer tools and tips for a better understanding of the path to true happiness.

Werteen and Howie are also co-founders of The Wisdom Coalition, an organization that helps women connect and commit to their passions and shared wisdom.

Greenawalds Fire Company of South Whitehall recently hosted a full house for Girl Scout Theresa Kleibscheidel.

Friends, family, leaders and fellow members of Girl Scout Troop 654, and members of the Greenawalds and Cetronia emergency responder crews came out on Feb. 5 to see Kleibscheidel receive the Girl Scout Medal of Honor for trying to save the life of her mom, Beth, two years ago on Feb. 5, 2016.

Whatever one may wish to be, dreams and imagination often provide an escape from reality for a moment.

Eventually, however, everyone learns to appreciate whatever one already has.

Stagemakers at the J is presenting “Alice in Wonderland Jr.,” an enchanting musical about a girl named Alice who escapes into a world of her own imagination she believes will be better than where she is currently.

After having several madcap adventures with a variety of colorful characters, Alice eventually discovers the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Having faith in one’s friends, making an effort to be unique, and fighting for what one believes is demonstrated beautifully in the musical “Seussical Jr.”

Based on characters created by children’s writer and author Dr. Seuss, “Seussical Jr.” tells a story of courage and loyalty.

The musical was written by Stephen Ahrens and Lynn Flaherty.

The Cat in the Hat narrates the story of Horton the Elephant, who finds a speck of dust that is home to a mini group of people called Whos.

Walking around the Neffs Volunteer Fire Company Fire House at 3755 Park Avenue injects history into a person’s soul.

The “Pride of Park Avenue” has been serving the community for 75 years.

And, from 2-6 p.m. Aug. 20, the volunteer firefighters will welcome members of the community to an open house to celebrate that special anniversary.

“Pride of Park Avenue originated during an informal discussion among some of the firefighters 20 years ago,” Neffs Fire Chief James Steward told The Press.