Everybody Celebrates the 4th of July

Everybody Celebrates the 4th of July!

Harrisburg Celebrates the 4th
in Big-Time Musical Style!
by Erica Lawrence

Harrisburg is celebrating this Fourth of July with a bang. The 2000 Independence Weekend American Musicfest will be held along Harrisburg’s twice designated All-America City’s waterfront. Within this five-day celebration you will find everything from delicious gourmet food and live musical performances, to volleyball and karate tournaments and drag boat racing — there will be something offered for all ages, tastes, budgets, and interests!

With over 40 vendors participating this year, it won’t matter whether you’re in the mood for Jambalaya, Philly cheesesteaks, pork BBQ, or cotton candy. Your taste buds will be sure to water while you try to figure out what your belly aches for.

And there will be entertainment! Whether you’re at the Mayor’s Barge, the Island Stage, the Riverside Gazebo, or a countless number of other sites, you will be able to find great local and national acts — including Tony Perry 3, Hired Guns, Big Tubba Mista, or Rosie and the Naturals, and celebrated Shania Twain impersonator, Shania Twin.

Children can look forward to the Popcorn Hat Players, the kidsfest, or the Yiengst Magic Circus. Sports fans can participate in the karate tournament (with registration at the Skyline Sports Complex) or catch the Senators at RiverSide Stadium on City Island as part of their five-day homestand that coincides with the Festival. And the grand finale will be one of the finest holiday firework displays, simulcast to music broadcast live on BOB 94.9, and televised live on UPN 15.

As with most of the City’s celebrations, Front Street will be closed down beginning at 9 a.m. on the first day of the event, to make room for the vendors, stages, activities, and patrons. This holiday affair begins on June 30, and runs until 10 p.m. on July 4. Free parking will be available in all city owned parking garages. Front Street will reopen at 7 a.m. on July 5.

York’s 4th of July Festivities
by Alli Young
As is traditional in York on the Fourth of July, the York Expo Center will host the annual Bon-Ton sponsored fireworks display, held to the music of the York Symphony Orchestra. Though this is an annual happening in York, Stephanie Vangel of the Bon-Ton says that this year the sponsors wanted "to do something special for the millennium."

This year, gates will open at 6 p.m. At 7:45 p.m., the Gettysburg Fife and Drum Corps will present the colors to the sounds of the National Anthem. Following this presentation, the Greater York Youth Ballet has been invited to perform, as the York Symphony plays a "Millennium Medley". After the dancers performance, a patriotic medley will be played until intermission at 9 p.m. The fireworks display is slated to begin at 9:15 p.m. and will be held to the York Symphony’s synchronistic accompaniment, as is customary. This year’s display is expected to last approximately 45 minutes.

If you don’t want to worry about finding parking for the event (which is always a bit of a chore), The Northern Central Railway is hosting a picnic themed ride on the Liberty Limited Dinner Train the day of the fourth. The ride will begin at 4 p.m. in New Freedom and will travel to the fairgrounds for the fireworks festivities. Reservations and admission are required for the ride. For more information on the train ride, call 1-800-94-TRAIN.

Get Down on the 4th in Lancaster
by Chris Wright
Lancaster City’s Fourth of July celebration will take place this year on Friday, June 30, at its usual location on Queen Street between Chestnut and Orange. This year should be especially boisterous not only because Lancaster was recently named one of the ten All-America cities in a much-hyped national contest, but also because this will most likely be the last year the event is held downtown — due to some very vocal opposition to the fireworks display from a few residents and merchants.

There will be festivities all day long, starting at 11 a.m. as entertainers and vendors take over the sidewalks; the main stage will feature an evening performance by K.C. and the Sunshine Band with special guest Johnny Bravo a.k.a. "Greg Brady" from The Brady Bunch (if you remember, Johnny Bravo was "Greg"’s stage name in the episode when he almost became a rock star.) The fireworks begin at 10 p.m. with a music simulcast from co-sponsor WLAN-FM 97.

As always, parking spaces will be at a premium for this event, and the use of the city’s parking garages, all of which are in walking distance, is recommended. Entrance to the general area and attractions is free, but admission to the concert is $10. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and various downtown locations. For more information, check out lancasterpa.com.