Union County set to celebrate veterans at end of June

Justin Strawser, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·4 min read

May 20—LEWISBURG — The 2024 Union County Veterans' 4th of July Celebration will take place June 28-29.

The event kicks off June 28 with a concert and fireworks display and will continue June 29 with the parade. The parade will have 100 veterans involved and dozens of community groups, veteran organizations and Valley businesses participating.

"We're the Union County Veterans' 4th of July Celebration, but we're more than just Union County," Terry Burke, president of the Union County Veterans' 4th of July Committee, said. "We're everybody. It's all the communities around us. We're proud of our veterans and we should continue to honor them."

The celebration starts at 7 p.m. June 28 with a concert at Wolfe Field at 304 Hufnagle Blvd. featuring Becky Blue Band, sponsored by the locally owned McDonald's, and food vendors. The for-profit vendors have agreed to donate a portion of their profits to the committee. Fireworks, sponsored by Weis Markets and USA Life, will follow the show.

"It will be a really good turnout," Burke said. "If the weather is good, it will be crowded. The Wolfe Field is the optimal viewing area, as well as the Weis Markets parking lot."

The 4th of July Gala Parade starts at 10 a.m. June 29 with the grand marshall being firefighters from the William Cameron Engine Company, which is celebrating its 150th year.

"The fire companies are typically in parades," Burke said. "It made sense to combine resources and make this parade in particular about them."

The parade committee is seeking veterans from around the region to join up. The fee for non-veterans to register in the parade is $250 this year, a 50 percent reduction from previous years, but any veteran-owned business can be in the parade for free. Interested parties should contact committee President Terry Burke at (267) 760-3332 or email ucveterans4thofjuly@gmail.com, to register.

The parade will form at the Greenspace Center and travel east on Market Street to Third Street, turning right and concluding at the monument at Third Street and University Avenue. After the parade, at Hufnagle Park, there will be food vendors and Fralinger String Band will play.

Following the parade, the high school marching bands from Lewisburg Area and Mifflinburg Area, the Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps, the Keystone Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps and the Dover-Eyota High School Marching Band from Minnesota as well as Fralinger String Band will play in Hufnagle Park.

For the third straight year, the 4th of July Committee is presenting the Thomas Reimensnyder Patriot Award. The award goes to the community group in the parade with the most patriotic float. The prize is $250, thanks to Susquehanna Community Bank, and a unique trophy designed, created and produced each year by SUN Area Technical Institute students.

Raffle tickets at $10 per ticket are also for sale to benefit the event. This year, the committee is raffling off a VIP experience for the Central PA Slamfest wrestling show at Rusty Rail Brewing Company, taking place after the parade in Mifflinburg. A VIP experience consists of ringside seats, a meet and greet with WWE Hall of Famer "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and an opportunity to pick an experience, including introducing a match, being a guest bell ringer, walking in with one of the wrestlers or having one's own entrance.

The raffle tickets can be purchased at slamfestlive.com/shop or ucveterans4thofjuly.org by putting "wrestling" in the donation line. The winner will be announced June 14.

SlamFest organizer Vince Evans, who wrestles as Vinny Lee Glamrock, said he and other wrestlers will be in the parade in collaboration with Rusty Rail. A portion of the profits for SlamFest will go to the 4th of July Celebration.

"We've been on the same day as the parade every year," Evans said. "Last year, we had wrestlers in the parade. It's a natural fit to collaborate together. It extends the great celebration a little longer into Saturday and in a really fun way."

Burke said one part of the weekend's events that have changed is the canceled flyover by Whiskey 7, a Douglas C-47A Skytrain. The plane had engine issues that likely won't be fixed by June 29. An alternative flyover is being sought.

Further information can be found on the organization's newly designed website at ucveterans4thofjuly.org. It was designed as part of a class project by Bucknell University students in the marketing innovations and designs class.

Rain dates for the June 28 events are June 29 and June 30.