POTTSTOWN, PA – This year’s Pottstown GoFourth! Festival Independence Day celebration promises something for all ages, with activities all day long.
The day begins with the Rotary Club of Pottstown July 4 parade, on High Street from Adams to Manatawny, beginning at 10 a.m. The parade is sponsored by Creative Health Services Inc. of Pottstown.
Pottstown’s GoFourth! Street Fest gets under way at 11:15 a.m. and continues to 4 p.m. Festival-goers can stroll High Street from Penn to York to enjoy live music and all events of the day. Tour the booths of artisans and other vendors, nonprofit information exhibits, and enjoy tons of children’s activities.
Hungry, thirsty, or both? Savor local fare at a number of High Street restaurants open to customers, many popular food trucks, downtown’s brew pubs and beer gardens, as well as the Sly Fox Beer Garden.
A Kids Zone will be focused in the area between Penn and Hanover streets. Kids Zone activities are free, thanks to sponsors ROG Orthodontics and the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation. Additional face painters will help to accommodate demand for this very popular attraction.
There will be games and entertainment, including two magic shows by Happy the Clown. Scotty Cavanaugh, an “action-comedy juggler” who performs on unicycle, returns again this year.
The Rotary Duck Race Drawing will take place at 3 p.m. at High and Hanover streets. This event raises money for vital area nonprofit organizations.
See and hear history com alive
GoFourth! organizers also welcome Michael Grillo. He will bring George Washington out of the pages of history, and onto High Street with his portrayal of the general. Mrs. Washington will also be present, and they will be camped out in a replica of the General’s revolutionary war tent. The presentation includes a reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Adding to the living history is Rivka Willick, “Storyteller for the 21st Century,” offering traditional and historical short stories, and a taste of times gone by.
Top photo by Jingda Chen on Unsplash, used by Travels With The Post under license
Several live bands, singers, and a DJ
Live musical entertainment, sponsored by Switchpoint Foundation, will be featured at Smith Family Plaza in the 100 Block of High Street.
- JoAnn Bathurst will open the show with the singing of the National Anthem;
- Following are Jazz and R&B group Anakai Ney and The Grooveyard;
- Next up are Hector Rosado y Orchestra Hache, returning for their 7th performance at the festival;
- New to the GoFourth! stage is Middle Class, specializing in modern rock. It won the title of Philadelphia’s 102.9 WMGK House Band, joining an elite family of the area’s top musicians and bands;
- At Memorial Park for the Fireworks Party, the show opens with DJ Q Ball spinning great tunes for the crowd;
- Then, Modern Luxe is back by popular demand to close out the evening.
Live sound is sponsored by and provided by Montgomery County Community College’s Sound Recording and Technology Department.
Photo by Tadas Mikuckis on Unsplash, used by Travels With The Post under license
A bombastic fireworks display
The Fireworks Party will kick off at 5 p.m. in Memorial Park, 75 W. King St., featuring food trucks, a Sly Fox Beer Garden, inflatable “rides” for kids, and musical entertainment. The pyrotechnics, presented by Sky Shooter Displays and sponsored again this year by Precision Polymer Products, Inc., begin at 9:30 p.m.
Grandpop Bubbles will be in the park from 5 p.m. until dusk. It’s a favorite activity for kids and adults, with giant bubbles to be enjoyed by all.
The Colebrookdale Railroad Fireworks Express will depart at 7 p.m. from its Boyertown station, and travel to Memorial Park to arrive in plenty of time for the show. Tickets can be purchased online.
Event parking is available at Montgomery County Community College South Hall, courtesy of the college. Parking is also available on the streets where appropriate; and in Pottstown borough lots at South Hanover Street near the train tracks, the lots at High and Evans Street, and the lot on King Street between Hanover and Penn streets.
Want the best possible parking space? Buy a premium fireworks parking pass online.
Thanks to GoFourth! sponsors
Pottstown GoFourth! recognizes these valued top-level sponsors to date:
- Fireworks Sponsor – Precision Polymer Products Inc.;
- Entertainment Sponsor – Switchpoint Foundation;
- Rotary Club of Pottstown Parade – Creative Health Services Inc.;
- Kids Zone Sponsors – Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, and ROG Orthodontics;
- Platinum Sponsor – The Hill School Student Philanthropy Council;
- Drone Sponsor – Creative Health Services Inc.; and
- Gold Sponsors – Fox Rothschild LLP; PECO, Fast Signs of Pottstown.
Sponsorships are still available as planners work to meet significant costs and make this genuine Pottstown community celebration extraordinary.
Photo by Camylla Battani on Unsplash, used by Travels With The Post under license
Won’t you help too?
Donations for this community event also are welcomed, online and by mail. See the Pottstown GoFourth! website, or mail a check made out to Tri-County Community Network and send it to Pottstown GoFourth!, P.O. Box 1362, Pottstown PA 19464.
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