Bethlehem Musikfest “German” Beer Steins Made in China?

A former employee of the nonprofit that puts on Bethlehem’s Musikfest claimed in a federal lawsuit this week that the $70 ceramic beer steins that the festival advertises as "handcrafted in Germany" are actually made in China.

Rebecca Stoneback, who taught a glassblowing class and worked in an ArtsQuest gift shop, alleges that in mid-March she found the steins in their original shipping boxes that show they came from China, and then told her superiors she wouldn’t sell the steins unless they stopped advertising them as German-made.

She said in the suit that her concerns were dismissed and she was told the steins weren’t made in China. The next day, she was told she was no longer needed at ArtsQuest, which puts on the German-themed, 10-day music and beer festival.