America turns 250 years old this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than with community cookouts, history lessons and, of course, fireworks.<\/p>\n
Here are The Morning Call\u2019s top picks for Fourth of July fun. (Visit themorningcall.com<\/a> for a full list of events.)<\/p>\n America 250: A guide to July 4 fireworks, parades and more in the Lehigh Valley<\/a><\/p>\n Where to catch fireworks<\/p>\n What\u2019s a July 4 celebration without fireworks? There\u2019s plenty to choose from. Fireworks go off at dusk:<\/p>\n \u2022 J. Birney Crum Stadium, Allentown<\/p>\n \u2022 Valley Preferred Cycling Center, Upper Macungie Township<\/p>\n \u2022 Sand Island, Bethlehem<\/p>\n \u2022 Catasauqua Area School District football stadium<\/p>\n \u2022 Coca-Cola Park, Allentown<\/p>\n \u2022 Dorney Park, South Whitehall Township<\/p>\n Liberty Ignited at Coca-Cola Park<\/p>\n The IronPigs are throwing a massive America250 party this weekend, and everyone\u2019s invited.<\/p>\n The July 3 lineup includes entertainment, experiences and more, all culminating in Liberty United, which is being billed as the region\u2019s largest drone and fireworks show ever. The show will include at least 300 drones and a fireworks show nearly six times larger than a normal IronPigs post-game fireworks show.<\/p>\n Highlights of the event include the day\u2019s emcee, Allentown native and award-winning TV personality Carson Kressley; a reading of the Declaration of Independence by the Bachman Players; performances by the Swing Time Dolls, Brandywine Colonials Fife and Drum Corps and bagpiper Geoffrey Nicotia; and a Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival rendition of the classic Abbott & Costello bit \u201cWho\u2019s on First.\u201d<\/p>\n A century car show will represent the history of the American automotive industry, with vehicles ranging from a 1910 Buick Model 10 Touring to a 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon.<\/p>\n Other historical groups will showcase exhibits featuring historical documents, information, experiences and more, including a life-sized papier mache Liberty Bell made by Terry Pundiak and courtesy of Easton Rotary Club, a Ben Franklin interactive hologram and an Allentown Fairgrounds exhibit with various demonstrations.<\/p>\n Attendees will receive miniature American flags and be invited to sign a giant replica of the Declaration of Independence. Special for the holiday, apple pie and apple pie a la mode will be available at Coca-Cola Park along with other patriotic and ballpark concessions staples.<\/p>\n There will also be a fireworks display Saturday.<\/p>\n If you go: Ballpark gates will open at 5:30 p.m. July 3, and ceremonies begin around 6:15 p.m. Tickets are available at mlb.com\/milb\/lehigh-valley<\/a>; field-level tickets are $17.76, plus fees.<\/p>\n Delve into Lehigh Valley history<\/p>\n A historical event is the perfect time to learn more about the region\u2019s history and its many connections<\/a> to the American Revolution.<\/p>\n Here are some ideas:<\/p>\n George Taylor House: Visit the Catasauqua home of one of the Founding Fathers from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and experience living history reenactors, musical performances, a reading of the Declaration of Independence and house tours ($10). georgetaylorhouse.org<\/a><\/p>\n Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum: The museum in Allentown will host a one-day exhibit and lecture 10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 4. View a collection of artifacts connected to America\u2019s founding, including a legal document signed by George Taylor; the teapot of John Mickley, who helped transport the Liberty Bell to Allentown during the Revolutionary War; and the brake handle from the wagon that carried the Liberty Bell to safety at Zion\u2019s Church in Allentown. $10; $3, children; free, ages 2 and under. lehighvalleyheritagemusuem.org<\/a><\/p>\n Sigal Museum: Explore how Northampton County has marked the nation\u2019s centennial, bicentennial and semiquincentennial anniversaries at this Easton museum\u2019s \u201cRemembering 1776\u201d exhibit. View commemorative souvenirs, publications, keepsakes and everyday objects created to mark each celebration, and how they tell America\u2019s story. The exhibit runs through Dec. 31. sigalmuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n Have an event for us to consider? Email us at goguide@mcall.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"America turns 250 years old this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than with community cookouts, history…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232752,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,289,432],"class_list":["post-232751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news","tag-things-to-do","tag-top-stories-tmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}