he Labor Day weekend is full of activities and is the unofficial end to summer.

To celebrate the event, Mauch Chunk Opera House has two acts that are sure to get music lovers swaying to the beat.Claire Lynch BandThe Claire Lynch Band will be returning to Jim Thorpe as she performs live at the opera house, 14 W. Broadway, on Friday.Doors open at 7 p.m., show is at 8. Carbon County's own Coal County Express opens the show.Long recognized and praised as a creative force in acoustic music, Claire Lynch is a pioneer who continually pushes the boundaries of the bluegrass genre.Her career has been decorated with many other accolades including two Grammy nominations and three International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist awards in 2010 and 1997.Recently, at the 2014 IBMA Awards, she received two trophies: Song of the Year for "Dear Sister," and Recorded Event of the Year for her guest vocal appearance with "Country Boy: A Bluegrass Tribute to John Denver.""She is a rare talent indeed. She has a beautiful, effervescent voice which can handle contemporary and traditional music with complete authenticity," singer Linda Ronstadt said."She has one of the finest lead voices in the music business today," Dolly Parton said.Lynch is a pioneer who continually pushes the boundaries of the bluegrass genre.The Claire Lynch Band is a powerful juggernaut, a quartet that can interpret the beauty, subtlety and genre-defying sophistication of Lynch's music.It features like-minded musicians blending tradition and innovation, including two-time IBMA-winning bassist-clawhammer banjo player-dancer-percussionist Mark Schatz; soulful mandolinist-guitarist Jarrod Walker; and young string wizard Bryan McDowell, who at 18, won an unprecedented triple win at the Winfield, Kansas National Flatpicking Championship.Splintered SunlightThe Grateful Dead tribute band, Splintered Sunlight, will perform some of legend Jerry Garcia's hits at the opera house at 8 p.m. on Saturday.In a way, Splintered Sunlight isn't a tribute band. That's because, despite being completely devoted to performing the music of the Grateful Dead, their covers are almost not really covers, they always reinterpret aspects of the classic Dead songs and alter their set lists religiously.The band's faithful following reflects their deep understanding of the improvisational traditions of The Dead.Lead guitarist Butchie Sotchorow's special affinity for Jerry's music, and, for that matter, rhythm guitarist Dan Leyden's talent with the sound of Bob Weir make their performances almost as good as being at a Grateful Dead concert.To be sure, Splintered Sunlight is every bit the equal of the various bigger-name Dead bands.From its authentic two-drumset lineup, to Sochorow's soaring lead guitar and naturally dead-on Jerry-like voice, to Leyden's rhythms and Weir vocals, Splintered can do it all in a big way.They're musically superb, imaginative and always changing set lists and will surprise you, like the Dead.The audience can expect a sprinkling of relative Dead rarities. Expect a few obscure tunes dosed with Dead soul. Expect a surprising non-Dead cover or two from a band that has sneaked in the last three tracks of "Abbey Road" and Stevie Wonder's "Boogie on Reggae Woman."Tickets are available for both shows on the Opera House website,

www.mcohjt.com, by visiting SoundCheck Records in Jim Thorpe from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. or calling 570-325-4009, at the box office, which is open from noon to 5 p.m. on show days or by calling 570-325-0249 or when doors open at 7 p.m.