A History of Fireworks and Independence Day Celebrations in State College

State College, Pennsylvania, boasts a rich history of Independence Day celebrations, evolving from humble beginnings into a cherished community tradition. These celebrations, marked by parades, festivals, and spectacular fireworks displays, reflect the community's spirit and dedication.

Early Celebrations and the Alpha Fire Company

The tradition of celebrating the Fourth of July in the Centre Region dates back to 1927, when the Alpha Fire Company initiated a carnival. For approximately 50 years, the Alpha Fire Company’s carnival and parade were significant events in the community. However, by the 1970s, the increasing demands on the all-volunteer firefighters left them with insufficient time to organize the annual Fourth of July celebration.

The Kiwanis Club Era

In 1978, the State College Sunrise Kiwanis Club assumed responsibility for the Fourth of July celebration. Throughout the 1980s, the Kiwanis Club presented a modest fireworks show near Beaver Stadium on the Penn State campus.

The Great American 4th of July

In 1991, Sunrise Kiwanis passed the torch to WZWW Radio and United Federal Bank. This partnership led to the creation of an outstanding event produced by Dan Barker and his family for the community. Known as the Great American 4th of July, this celebration was particularly notable for its use of computers to choreograph fireworks to music.

The Birth of Central PA 4th Fest

By 2001, the event had grown too large for a single family to manage. Consequently, an independent, community-based nonprofit organization, Central PA 4th Fest, was established to carry forward the Fourth of July traditions. The board of directors includes community leaders from education, business, industry, medicine, public service, and government. Central PA 4th Fest has been committed to keeping this celebration alive.

Central PA 4th Fest: A Community Celebration

What is now an all-day event drawing tens of thousands of people is the result of year-round work involving hundreds of volunteers. The event includes the Firecracker 4K and 4-mile races. The 4k dates back to 2001, while the 4-mile race was added in 2016 and has become increasingly popular. A digital timing system is used to determine winners in various age categories. Registration is required to participate in the races.

The Heroes Parade

The Heroes Parade is held annually to honor those who have sacrificed to improve our lives. Stepping off near the State College Municipal Building, the parade lasts about 90 minutes and consists of about 100 units. Some of those include large balloons, first responders, community groups, bands, show horses, and a salute to veterans.

Entertainment and Activities

Following the parade, events shift to the areas around Beaver Stadium and Bryce Jordan Center. Activities have included BMX shows and Lumberjack Enterprises shows with logrolling, axe throwing, and more. The event has also stepped up the music with more variety-country, polka, Dixieland, R&B, doo wop, and classic rock. Along with many local bands and singers, country singer Adley Stump has performed during 4thFest.

The Fireworks Extravaganza

The biggest draw of 4th Fest is, of course, the massive fireworks show. The display is choreographed to music that can be heard on WBUS 99.5 FM, with an array of music both patriotic and spanning numerous genres. No parking is permitted along streets near the stadium, along Mount Nittany Expressway, Interstate 99, or Orchard Road. VIP passes are available for fireworks viewing and parking.

4th Fest and the State College Spikes

Partnering with the Spikes allowed the fireworks show to go on. The Fourth of July fireworks show at Medlar Field was produced by Central PA 4th Fest. The fireworks display was scaled down a bit from Central PA 4th Fest’s typical show, but more extravagant than a normal Spikes post-game show. For example, on Sunday, July 4, 2021, Central PA 4th Fest fireworks lit up the sky over Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. A record crowd of 7,183 packed Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the State College Spikes game against the Trenton Thunder. Trenton stole the thunder and produced most of the fireworks on the field, taking a 12-3 victory.

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Other Independence Day Activities in State College

Looking for more? Centre Region Parks and Recreation’s Kids on Wheels Parade gives children a chance to decorate their bikes, scooters, strollers, and wagons and show them off in a morning parade on July 4. The Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival is a five-day event at Grange Park in Centre Hall kicking off Wednesday and continuing through Sunday. With more than 11 hours of music each day, the festival features nearly two dozen national acts, food and craft vendors, kids programming, workshops, and plenty of jamming, with RV and rough camping available. Single-day and five-day tickets are available. Kids of all ages get to try on the field gear and head gear from the education collection at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg.

State College: A Brief Overview

State College is a borough and home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 40,501 at the 2020 census. The name of the Nittany Valley and its most prominent feature, Mount Nittany, comes from either Shawnee, Iroquois, or Lenape. It is thought to be a place name roughly translating to "single mountain." A common myth suggests the name comes from princess Nita-Nee, who led her people to the fertile valleys of central Pennsylvania. The author of the story, Henry W. Shoemaker, admitted to inventing the legend.

The Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania was founded in 1855 on 400-acres of land in what was Harris Township. Although the area was isolated from most of the state, the land was reasonably affordable and the Nittany Valley was rich in limestone, causing exceptional soil fertility. The land was clear-cut for charcoal, powering the adjacent Centre Furnace.

In 1875, College Township formed, taking up most of what is now State College. In 1885, the Pennsylvania Railroad opened a train station two miles from campus in Lemont on the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad. Passengers would have to catch an autobus or a hack to complete the journey to State College from the new station. Construction of the train station on West College Avenue was finally completed in 1892, connecting State College to the Bellefonte Central Railroad (BCRR) via Struble.

In 1909 the hilly area south of Downtown began to be developed under the name Highland Park. The borough began expanding in 1916 with annexations from Ferguson and College Township. In 1917 the borough added the Hamilton, Highland Park, and South Side additions to its boundary.

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Historical Events

In 1964, State College was the training site for the Iranian Olympic wrestling team, invited by the U.S. State Department. The team was meant to play several exhibition matches in an attempt to "further goodwill" between the United States and Iran. On January 21, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Rec Hall at Penn State.

In 1970 attempts were made by university students to divest money from the Applied Research Laboratory, which produces torpedoes. A sit-in at Old Main led to the arrest of at least 30 people. Protests against the ARL escalated in 1972 when about 2,000 protesters blocking College Avenue and North Atherton Street were met with police in riot gear.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.5 square miles (12 km2), all land. It is surrounded by large tracts of farmland and an expanse of Appalachian Mountain ranges and forests. Its location within a valley makes it prone to frequent rain, snowfall, and flooding. State College is in the Susquehanna watershed. The borough is the nexus, and most populous municipality in Happy Valley. State College is also a part of the larger Nittany Valley. The Nittany Valley is part of the geologic ridge-and-valley province of the Appalachian Mountains. It is located at the approximate geographic center of Pennsylvania.

Neighborhoods

The Borough of State College has twelve neighborhoods and half of University Park. The Highlands have around ten thousand people, making it the largest neighborhood in the borough, followed by Downtown and Orchard Park. The Highlands are a mix of apartments, townhouses, single-family homes, businesses, and parks. The neighborhood features working class areas like Lytle Hill and Marvin Gardens, and student areas like Frat Row. The Holmes-Foster-Highlands Historic District includes parts of Holmes-Foster, the Highlands, and the West End. Holmes-Foster and the West End were two of the first neighborhoods to be developed due to their proximity to Downtown, University Park, and the Bellefonte Central Railroad. Part of College Heights makes up the College Heights Historic District which was created in 1935 and features the College Heights Service Station. It took six annexations from College Township from 1930 to 1968 to officially bring the South End and Nittany Hills (also Penfield) neighborhoods in the borough. Vallamont and Penfield are the least populated neighborhoods, both of which are in the foothills of Mount Nittany on the east side of town. Parkway, short for Westerly Parkway Plaza, is home to State High, the Delta Program, the Westerly Parkway Wetlands, and the Parkway Plaza Apartments, which were built in the 1960s. Orchard Park is home to the South Hills School of Business & Technology.

Recent Developments

The 2010s saw a construction boom downtown, with several mixed-use towers developed, including Rise, Metropolitan, Fraser Centre, and Here State College, and others. The Downtown area has seen large protests over the past couple of decades, particularly at the Allen Street Gates and the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza.

University Park

University Park is the main campus of Pennsylvania State University and is split between the Borough of State College and College Township. It is home to Old Main, Penn State's first building of major significance, completed in 1863; Palmer Museum of Art, visual arts facility and cultural resource for Penn State and local community; and Penn State Creamery, the world's largest university creamery.

Historic Districts

Camelot is a historic house in the borough. The Holmes-Foster-Highlands Historic District with 727 contributing buildings, and College Heights Historic District with 278 were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Houses come in popular early twentieth-century architectural styles including Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and Bungalow.

Climate

State College has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Weather in State College is strongly influenced by the mountain and valley topology of the area. The surrounding mountains cause significantly lower temperatures in the winter, and make summer heat waves much rarer than in the rest of the state. Precipitation is about 20% lower than areas at comparable elevations, again due to the surrounding mountains.

Demographics

According to the 2010 census, there were 42,034 people, 12,610 households, and 3,069 families residing in the borough. The population density was 9,258.6 inhabitants per square mile (3,574.8/km2). There were 13,007 housing units at an average density of 2,865.0 per square mile (1,106.2/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 83.2% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 9.8% Asian, 1.0% Other, and 2.0% from two or more races. 3.9% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. A 2014 estimate had the racial makeup of the borough as 78.9% Non-Hispanic White, 5.6% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American and Alaska Native, 11.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 0.8% Some other race, and 2.2% two or more races.

Of the 12,610 households, 9.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 18.2% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 75.6% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The age distribution of the borough was overwhelmingly influenced by its student population: 5.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 70.6% from 18 to 24, 13.1% from 25 to 44, 6.5% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% was 65 years of age or older.

The median income for a household in the borough was $23,513, and the median income for a family was $58,953. The per capita income for the borough was $13,336. 46.9% of the population and 9.8% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.6% of those under the age of 18 and 2.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Economy

Pennsylvania State University is the largest single employer in the region, employing over 27,000 full- and part-time workers as of 2016.

Arts and Culture

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, usually referred to as "Arts Fest", is held downtown every July. The five-day festival features artists from around the country and draws more than 125,000 visitors. Streets are closed off and lined with booths where people can buy paintings, pottery, jewelry, and other hand-made goods. On Saturday, February 4, 2017, State College set a Guinness World Record holder with Light Up State College organizing 5,226 lighted ice luminaries that were displayed across South Allen Street in Downtown State College. This is the most ice luminaries in any one location to date.

Sports

Rec Hall is a field house located on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. It was opened on January 15, 1929, and remains in use. It is home to the Penn State Nittany Lions women's and men's volleyball teams, and Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling. Pegula Ice Arena is a 6,014-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, on the campus of Penn State University, which opened October 11, 2013, to replace the 1,350-seat Penn State Ice Pavilion.

In 1914, the State College School Board purchased a sinkhole along Fraser and Nittany avenues to build a football field and track in the “natural amphitheater.” During the Great Depression the project received a $40,000 grant from the Works Progress Administration, $5,000 from the school district, and additional federal funds. The sinkhole was originally nicknamed "The Hollow", though it would later be named Memorial Field in dedication to State College High School graduates killed in both World Wars. In September 1937, the stadium hosted its first football game between State College and Yeagertown. State College would win 52-7 in front of an audience of 3,000 spectators. $500,000 was spent on drainage to protect against flooding in the former sinkhole. In 1966 the area between Memorial Field and the post office was turned into a parklet.

Parks and Recreation

Sunset Park in College Heights is connected to Gerhold Wildflower Trail; Walnut Springs in Vallamont and Lederer Park in Penfield are largely forested; South Hills Park, Tussey View Park, and Nittany Village Park are in Tusseyview; Orchard Park is split between the Orchard Park neighborhood and Greentree; High Point Park is also in Orchard Park and is the proposed site of a skate park; Holmes-Foster Park is in Holmes-Foster and Greentree; Community Field is in Parkway; East Fairmount Park is in the Highlands; and Smithfield Park is in the South End. Additionally half of the Arboretum including the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens is in the borough.

Government and Infrastructure

State College Borough falls under the jurisdiction of the following district courts. The jurisdictions include civil claims and summary offenses.

Education

The State College Area School District operates eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school in and around State College, enrolling 6,712 students. The borough is home to three out of the eight elementary schools: Coral Street, Radio Park, and Easterly Parkway. The school district began in 1896 in the two-story Frazier Street school. In 1914 the State College High School, now known as the Fairmount Building, opened on Fraser Street. In 1957 high school students began moving into a new school on Westerly Parkway.

Media

State College's daily newspaper is Centre Daily Times, first published in 1898. Originally published under the name State College Times, the paper would change its name in 1932 to the Centre Daily Times. The Times is now part of the McClatchy Company newspaper chain. The paper had a daily circulation of 9,279, a Sunday circulation of 11,521, and over four million average monthly page views in 2020. There is also a weekly version published as Centre Weekly. State College is part of the Johnstown/Altoona/State College television market, which is ranked as the 102nd largest in the nation as of 2016. Television stations broadcasting out of State College include WPSU 3 (PBS), WHVL-LD 29 (MyNetworkTV), and C-NET Centre County's government and education access television network, which broadcasts on two cable channels: CGTV (Government Access TV) on Comcast and Windstream Channel 7 and CETV (Educational Access TV) on Channel 98. WATM-TV 23 (ABC) produces a Centre County focused newscast, anchored from a studio on West College Avenue.

Transportation

In 2013, the State College MSA ranked as the fifteenth lowest in the United States for percentage of workers who commuted by private automobile (79.2 percent). In 1892, the Bellefonte Central Railroad extended its tracks from Struble to a new station in the West End of State College. State College was initially connected to Bellefonte via Waddle through the Scotia Barrens and Buffalo Run Valley. In 1896, State College would be connected to Pine Grove Mills via Struble and Bloomsdorf. In 1930, the Fairbrook Branch was finished connecting State College to Fairbrook, Tyrone, and Altoona.

Utilities

Electricity in State College is provided by West Penn Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy. Natural gas service in the borough is provided by Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, a division of NiSource. The State College Borough Water Authority provides water service to State College and Patton, Ferguson, college, Harris, and Benner townships.

Healthcare

Healthcare providers for the area include Mount Nittany Health, Geisinger, and Penn State Health. Mount Nittany Medical Center is a 260-bed hospital with an emergency department.

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