There are plenty of ways to celebrate America’s 250th birthday across the region.
In Berks County, the Reading Symphony Orchestra will pull all the stops for a full day of music, food, and family fun.
The Reading Symphony Orchestra will present Star Spangled Spectacular from 2 to 10 p.m. on Saturday at the Berks County Fairgrounds, which is located at 1216 Hilltop Rd. in Bern Township.
From the first note to the final firework, the free event will celebrate everything that makes the Berks community shine.
The event will open with a color guard from Reading MCJROTC at 2 p.m. followed by the national anthem and music by the Let’s Dance Orchestra.
There will be rock-and-roll by Flamin’ Dick and the Hot Rods at 4 p.m. and pop and funk by the Brass Pocket Band at 6 p.m.
At 7:30 p.m., there will a reading of the Declaration of Independence by state Sen. Judy Schwank and state Rep. Mark Gillen.
The Reading Symphony Orchestra will take the stage at 8 p.m. with patriotic music followed by a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m.
Nonperishable items will be collected for the Helping Harvest food bank.
Homestead Festival returns to Kutztown
The Eastern PA Homestead Festival will be held Thursday through Sunday at Kutztown Fairgrounds, which is located at 450 Wentz St. in Kutztown, Berks County.
Visitors can enjoy craftsmen, vendors, speakers, live music, food, and fun that pay homage to the Kutztown Folk Festival.
There will be two stages with music, lectures, and demonstrations.
There will be musical performances by the Miller Family Square Dancing, Long Acre Hollow, Laurie Ann and the Saddletones, Maddie Cass, “Songs that Made America” by Steven Simpson with Serafina Salvaterra, Junior’s Grades, Bob Sica, and Crow Hill.
There will be lectures on topics including “Soil Health,” “Utilizing Trees for Fodder and Tree Hay,” “How to Preserve Your Harvest,” “Off Grid Cooking,” “The Fall/Winter Garden,” “Essential Tools of Homesteading,” “Sourdough 101: Changing Lives One Loaf at a Time,” and “Canning 101.”
Cooking demonstrations include venison pork slider, rabbit mousseline, and summer gazpacho.
On the livestock stage, there will be sheep shearing demonstrations daily at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m., and sheep to shawl demonstrations at 2:30 p.m. on Friday and at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Also, there will be eastern woodland culture and story telling; ham radio demonstration; Berks Schuylkill County Bee Keeper’s Association; Penn State Extension Master Gardeners; and cooking demonstration by chef Dale Reitenauer.
Hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Tickets cost $10 for a single-day pass and $30 for a four-day pass.
Music and fireworks in Bethlehem
SteelStacks in Bethlehem will hold an Independence Day Celebration on Friday and Saturday.
The free festivities will include musical events, accompanied by food vendors. This event will be the last chance to view the Hometown Heroes 2026 banner that debuted more than 1,900 photos of local military veterans on Memorial Day.
On the Town Square on Friday, visitors can enjoy music by Sean Marshall Duo at 4 p.m., John DeRosa at 6 p.m., and Spud Mack at 9 and 11 p.m.
The U.S. Army Field Band & Soldiers’ Chorus will perform from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Levitt Pavilion.
Performing on the Town Square on Saturday will be Chasing Stars at 3:30 p.m., The Wonton Soups at 7 p.m., and Big Bone Daddy ay 10 p.m.
The Allentown Band will play from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Levitt Pavilion. The Bruce Show will follow from 8:30 to 10 p.m. at Levitt Pavilion.
Bethlehem will launch its fireworks at 9:20 p.m.
‘Steel Hearts’ in Wilson
Artists of Sing for America have written and composed their first musical with “Steel Hearts: The John Henry Musical,” which will be presented in a free performance at 6 p.m. on Sunday at Meuser Park in Wilson, Northampton County.
According to Taryn Gilbert, the show was inspired by the American folk hero John Henry, who was a steel driver on the railroad and challenged a steam-powered rock drill that was replacing workers. The show will be presented by Truth and Light Media Productions, started by the five singing Gilbert siblings from Forks Township, Northampton County.
Set in the South, “Steel Hearts,” begins with John Henry’s parents, played by Ian Holmes and Taryn Gilbert, who are born into slavery. After the Emancipation Proclamation, Henry, played by Jorne Gilbert, is a freed man who finds work laying down rail for the railroad. When the steam-powered rock drill threatens to take away the steel drivers’ jobs, Henry stands up against overwhelming odds.
Gilbert said “the show turns a familiar folktale into a moving live musical about work ethic, perseverance, and what it means to build a life with purpose. It’s a story about race, but also about shared humanity, and the belief that effort and integrity still matter.”
The score is inspired by Gospel music and includes songs such as “The Ballad of John Henry,” “Lady of Steel,” and “Morning in America.”
The cast also features Tasia Gilbert, Max Albert, Jewel Gilbert, Gabriel Soto, and Abraham Pla.
Sing for America was started in 2003 by sisters Taryn, Tasia, and Teara Gilbert, and brothers Jewel and Jorne Gilbert to raise money for local causes. The siblings perform in, direct, choreograph, and do costume and set design for all their shows.
Children’s show at PSF
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival will present its first children’s production of the season with an original sequel to last year’s modern take on the Grimms’ fairy tale, “The Princess and the Frog Prince.”
“Sheila the Magical – The Princess & The Frog Prince Part 2” will be on stage at the Schubert Theatre, which is located in the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the DeSales University. That’s at 2755 Station Ave. in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County. The sequel as well as “The Princess and the Frog Prince” were written by Jason King Jones, who is in his fourth year as PSF’s artistic director.
The sequel follows Sheila, played by India Profitt, a modern-day princess who would rather be playing hoops than searching for Prince Charming; and her friend Ferdinand, a talking frog who is really a prince, played by Ryan Plunkett.
When a mysterious spell transforms her entire family into animals, Princess Sheila’s game is thrown for a major loop. Now, with her frog prince pal and her newly furry family by her side, she must navigate enchanted forests, decode riddles with rhythm, and use every bit of her street smarts to break the curse.
With music, laughs, and a zoo full of characters, this sequel proves that the real magic isn’t in a wand — it’s in believing in yourself and putting family first.
Profitt and Plunkett are reprising their roles as Sheila and Ferdinand from last year.
The cast also features Jamir Fisher, Ian Higgins, Isabella Stevens, Mayrali Melendez, Sophia Twohig, and Shawn Taylor.
The show will feature puppets created by 2025 Cedar Crest College graduate Angel D’Andria, who debuted her puppetry work at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival last year for “The Princess and the Frog Prince” and “The Producers.” Next, her puppets will be seen on the main stage in PSF’s “Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty” from July 16 to Aug. 1. She previously created and performed as the puppeteer for Milky White in Munopco Music Theater’s 2024 production of “Into the Woods.”
“Sheila the Magical” is directed by Jessica Bedford and features original music by Pax Ressler and costume design by Amy Best.
Children can get a front-row seat with on-stage carpet seating. Seating is first-come, first-serve.
Kids also can meet the characters for autographs and photos after every show.
Performances will be at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday and July 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 31, and Aug. 1, and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. July 28 and 30.
The July 11 and Aug. 1 performance will be relaxed for patrons with sensory and communication differences.
The July 25 performance will feature audio descriptions for patrons who are blind or visually impaired and American Sign Language interpretation for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Tickets cost $14.50 for children and $18.50 for adults.
Rock musical at Pines
Pines Dinner Theatre will present “School of Rock.” The theater is located at Shops at Cedar Point, 315 S. Cedar Crest Blvd. in Allentown.
Featuring music by legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on the 2003 film of the same name, “School of Rock” tells the story of Dewey Finn, played by Ryan Daniels, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn an extra bit of cash by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There, he turns a class of straight A, musically-talented students into a rock band and has to get them to the Battle of the Bands without their parents and the school’s headmistress finding out.
Ryan Daniels
“This production is a perfect fit for our audiences,” said director Oliver Blatt, Pines’ artistic director. “It combines the excitement of live music with a heartfelt story and showcases an extraordinary cast of performers.”
Blatt said the production features two alternating casts of young artists who will bring the show to life.
The youth cast features Mia Moyer, Keagan Frendt, Zori Sawyer, Edan Silver, Zoe Silver, Hunter Mark, Harper Carlo, Hailey Grubb, Alexander Pizolato, Jack Yost, Caleb Cruz, Addie Speakman, Vivienne Escoto, Adler Shappell, Dani Loccarini, Yaxuel Velazquez, and Adleigh Burdine.
The adult cast features Ashley Hoberman, Max Evans, Christina Freeman, Michael Lutterschmidt, Meghan McGorry, Ryan Domalewski, Moriah Faith, Connor Sternberg. Tyler Pelton, Lily Levine, and Dan VanArsdale.
Tickets cost $45 and include the show only. Food and beverages are available ala carte.
“School of Rock” opened on Broadway in 2015 and picked up four Tony Award nominations, including best musical.
Performances will be at noon, dinner; 1:30 p.m., show Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays; 6 p.m., dinner; 7:30 p.m., show Fridays; noon, dinner; 1:30 p.m., show; 6 p.m., dinner; 7:30 p.m., show Saturdays, July 8 to Aug. 22.
Classic Shakespeare
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival will present the classic “Romeo and Juliet” at the Main Stage Theatre, which is located in the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University, which is located at 2755 Station Ave. in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County.
An ancient feud divides the Montagues and Capulets, until Romeo (Austin Nedrow) and Juliet (Maya Jean) meet and fall in love. Their secret marriage defies generations of bloodshed, but in a world poisoned by hatred, even the most transcendent love cannot escape fate. From the euphoric heights of a moonlit balcony to the stifling darkness of a tomb, Shakespeare’s most iconic tragedy races toward its devastating conclusion. This is a story that challenges whether love can ever truly conquer hate.
Director Jason King Jones, PSF artistic director, said the production is set in a Verona “that maps deliberately onto our own moment.”
“The design marries ancient architecture to contemporary signage, neon burning against centuries-old stone, because Verona today is genuinely that kind of city – cosmopolitan, multilingual, layered with competing cultures and histories – not unlike Renaissance Verona when trade routes brought the whole known world through its streets,” Jones said. “The collision of past and present isn’t aesthetic whimsy. It’s the play’s actual argument, that these hatreds are neither new nor resolved, that the city keeps rebuilding itself around the same unexamined wound.”
The cast features Tyler Borneo, Arrianna Daniels, Maboud Ebrahimzadeht, Doug Hara, Darin F. Earl II, Terrance Fleming, Eli Lynn, Teddy Novak, Suzanne O’Donnell, Ian Merrill Peakes, Karen Peakes, Ryan Plunkett, India Proffit, Shawn Taylor, Cassia Thompson, Mark Yowakim, Jamir Fisher, Mariana Marcel, and Mayrali Melendez.
The creative team features Brian Sidney Bembridge as scenic designer, Nancy L. Leary as costume designer, Thom Weaver as lighting designer, David M. Greenberg as sound designer, and Cedric Lamar as composer.
“Romeo and Juliet” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. July 8, 9, 10, 15, 22, 24, and 30, and Aug. 1; at 6:30 p.m. on July 14; and at 2 p.m. July 19, 25, and 29.
The audience can meet the actors after the July 30 performance.
There will be a performance featuring audio-described for the blind or visually-impaired and open-captioning for deaf or hard-of-hearing performance at 2 p.m. on July 25.
“Romeo and Juliet” will play in repertory with “Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty,” which will run July 16 to Aug. 1. Repertory means the two shows will be performed by some of the same cast on the same stage on alternating days.
“Romeo and Juliet” is recommended for ages 12 and up.