{"id":235781,"date":"2026-07-05T02:10:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T02:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/235781\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T02:10:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T02:10:10","slug":"residents-celebrate-americas-250th-birthday-at-berks-county-fairgrounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/235781\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents celebrate America’s 250th birthday at Berks County Fairgrounds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bob Simpson answered the question with a single word.<\/p>\n

\u201cFreedom,\u201d the Womelsdorf man said Saturday afternoon when asked what it means to be an American.<\/p>\n

As a Vietnam War veteran, he noted that he has a deep understanding that freedom comes at a cost and is grateful that he lives in a country where people are willing to put their lives on the line for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the best country in the world,\u201d he said, wiping tears hidden behind black sunglasses. \u201cSo many people want to criticize this country these days, but if they knew what it was like to live somewhere else they would understand how truly wonderful it really is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simpson and his wife, Helen, celebrated that hard-won freedom on Independence Day by heading out to the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township to hear their son and daughter-in-law perform in the Let\u2019s Dance Orchestra, a large swing band composed of musicians from across the county.<\/p>\n

\"BobBob and Helen Simpson of Womelsdorf enjoy the Let\u2019s Dance orchestra during the Berks County Star Spangled Spectacular at the county fairgrounds in Bern Township on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

The band was one of several acts featured at a special Fourth of July event led by the America250PA Berks County Committee and the Reading Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n

The Star-Spangled Spectacular featured music, family activities and food vendors. Organizers had to cancel an orchestra concert and fireworks display scheduled for Saturday night due to stormy weather.<\/p>\n

A day to reflect<\/p>\n

Visitors braved near triple-digit heat to enjoy the celebration and to take a few moments to reflect on what it means to live in the United States of America.<\/p>\n

Helen Simpson said the words that jump to her mind when she thinks about America are freedom, faith and family.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important to celebrate this milestone and remember that it is up to us to preserve these rights for generations to come,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are very fortunate and very blessed to be Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fred and Susan Yeagle, Leesport, said they thought the event would be a fitting way to celebrate a remarkable occasion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really wanted to do something special to celebrate the 250th birthday of our nation and support our county at the same time,\u201d Fred Simpson said. \u201cThis is a great way to mark such a big milestone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan Yeagle said they were just teenagers back in 1976 when the nation celebrated the bicentennial and acknowledged that she probably didn\u2019t fully grasp just the importance of the milestone at that time. Now she does.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in the greatest country in the world,\u201d she said. \u201cI have the freedom to live the way I choose, to believe in the things I choose and to say the things I choose. Those are choices that other people may not have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FredFred and Susan Yeagle of Leesport enjoy the Berks County Star Spangled Spectacular at the county fairgrounds in Bern Township on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Carlos Vasquez came to the event at the urging of his son\u2019s friend Isa Smith, who was convinced she would be able to find a funnel cake vendor at the event. Smith was right.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really wanted a funnel cake,\u201d she said with a smile as she balanced the sweet treat in one hand and a water bottle in the other. \u201cI guess I kind of forced them to come, but now that we\u2019re here this is a pretty great way to celebrate the Fourth of July.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vasquez said he was in search of a soft pretzel and plenty of water.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though the heat is bad, I\u2019m glad we came to celebrate,\u201d he said. \u201cDuring my lifetime, I have seen a lot of good things and a lot of bad things happen in our history. But we are still here and that says something.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Reading resident said that if he could speak to the leaders of our nation he would encourage them to think a little more about the plight of the working class and focus on making things better for those who are struggling to make ends meet.<\/p>\n

Smith agreed that there\u2019s progress to be made. But, she said, the holiday serves as a reminder to be grateful to her family members who immigrated to the United States four generations ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey moved here from Trinidad and Tobago for a better life,\u201d she said. \u201cThat opened the door for future generations to be able to do what they want. I still have family that live on the island and they don\u2019t have the same kind of opportunities that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MikeMike Vasquez and Isa Smith of Reading sample a variety of food during the Berks County Star Spangled Spectacular at the county fairgrounds in Bern Township on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)
\nBusinesses step up<\/p>\n

Charles Bock, president of the Reading Symphony Orchestra, served as the chairman of the Star-Spangled Spectacular event. He said the intention was to blend patriotism with musical performances.<\/p>\n

Bock said the event came together thanks to the generosity of the local business community.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot one dime of taxpayer money was used,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had these wonderful companies step up to make this day special for residents because they deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lineup for the day featured a diverse soundtrack from musical performers<\/p>\n

Sen. Judy Schwank and Rep. Mark Gillen teamed up for a reading of the founding document that was signed 250 years ago \u2014 the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n

\"SiblingsSiblings Bennett, 15, and Louisa, 9, Mocdydlowski of Mohnton dance to the Let\u2019s Dance orchestra during the Berks County Star Spangled Spectacular at the county fairgrounds in Bern Township on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)
\n\"AvaAva Woiciechowski, 9, has her face painted by Kokol the Clown during the Berks County Star Spangled Spectacular at the county fairgrounds in Bern Township on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)
\n\"CarlosCarlos Vasquez of Reading enjoys some funnel cake during the Berks County Star Spangled Spectacular at the county fairgrounds in Bern Township on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bob Simpson answered the question with a single word. \u201cFreedom,\u201d the Womelsdorf man said Saturday afternoon when asked…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,182,139,28,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-235781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235781","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=235781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}