POTTSTOWN — This year’s Pottstown GoFourth! Festival Independence Day celebration will pay homage to the 70s, with a special nod to one of the originators of the Pottstown 4th of July celebrations of years ago.
The day will begin at 8 a.m. with the annual Pottstown Parks and Recreation’s Patriotic 5K, starting at the Ricketts Center and heading east on Beech Street and proceeding to Price, High, York, Chestnut and Grant streets.
That will be followed by the Rotary Club of Pottstown’s July 4 parade on High Street from Adams to York streets , beginning at 10:15 a.m.
Pottstown GoFourth! Street Fest will get underway at 11:15 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m.
Stroll High Street from Penn to York to enjoy live music, local restaurant fare and popular food trucks, Pottstown’s brew pubs and beer gardens, artisans and other vendors, nonprofit information exhibits, and children’s activities.
Kids Zone will be focused in the area between Penn and Hanover. Organizers are still seeking a sponsorship for the Kids Zone activities. They have added additional face painters this year to accommodate demand.
There will be games and entertainment including the ever-popular Judy Tudy the Clown, and living history presented by the Shire of Hartshorn-dale, including reenactments, medieval history, dance, costumes, and combat. New this year is Scotty Cavanaugh, an “action-comedy juggler” who performs on unicycle.
Live musical entertainment, sponsored by VideoRay, LLC, will be featured at Smith Family Plaza in the 100 Block of High Street. JoAnn Bathurst will open the show with the singing of the National Anthem. Following are country music favorite Stephanie Grace, sponsored by Pottstown Parks and Recreation, Ms. Grace is the opening act for the highly-anticipated Taylor Swift concert in Philadelphia on May 14.
Hector Rosado y Orchestra Hache are up next, returning for their 6th performance at the festival, and Modern Luxe, back by popular demand, will close out the afternoon. Live sound is provided by Montgomery County Community College’s Sound Recording and Technology Department.
Festivalgoers can enjoy the music with a beverage from Sly Fox Beer Garden and food from one of the many food trucks. A number of High Street restaurants also will be open to customers.
The Rotary Duck Race Drawing will take place at 3 p.m. at High and Hanover streets. This event raises money for vital area nonprofit organizations.
The fireworks pre-show party will kick off at 5 p.m. in Memorial Park, 75 W. King St., featuring food trucks, a Sly Fox Beer Garden, Inflatable “rides” for kids, and DJ Q Ball. This year will also see the return of Grandpop Bubbles, a favorite of kids and adults alike, with his giant bubbles to be enjoyed by all.
The pyrotechnics, presented by International Fireworks and sponsored again this year by Precision Polymer Products Inc., will begin at 9:30 p.m.
Parking will be available on the streets where appropriate (please be considerate of our Borough neighbors) and in the Borough of Pottstown lots at South Hanover Street near the train tracks, the lots at High and Evans Street, and the lot on King Street between Hanover and Penn streets.
In addition, free parking will be available in the parking lot at Montgomery County Community College’s South Hall, 101 College Drive. Premium
fireworks parking passes will be available, but parking tickets are required; they will go on sale in mid-May at www.pottstowngofourth.com.
Sponsorships are still available as planners work to meet significant costs and make this genuine Pottstown community celebration extraordinary. Visit
www.pottstowngofourth.com/sponsorships.
Volunteers also are needed: www.pottstowngofourth.com/volunteer.
Vendors and nonprofits who would like to set up a stand or table should contact Darlene Bainbridge at [email protected]. Vendor registration deadline is June 10.
Pottstown GoFourth! recognizes these valued top-level sponsors to date: Precision Polymer Products, Inc.; VideoRay, LLC. (Entertainment Sponsor).
Donations toward this community event and the Rotary Club of Pottstown Parade are welcomed (and donors will be recognized in The Mercury). Visit www.pottstowngofourth.com or by check made out to Tri-County Community Network (TCN), and send to Pottstown GoFourth!, P.O. Box 1362, Pottstown, PA 19464.
Website visitors also can purchase Pottstown GoFourth! shirts and other merchandise, see photo albums, and find other information about this event.
“Support for Pottstown GoFourth! Festival has been very enthusiastic,” said Amy Wolf, co-chairwoman of the event. “We hope people continue to donate so it can be a true celebration for the borough, as it has since our inception in 2017. We want people to know that the safety and security of our community during the event are at the forefront of our minds. It is a reality we have to face in today’s world. We have really stepped up our security measures in order to do all we can to keep everyone safe.”
“This comes at a cost, of course, and we hope the community recognizes this effort with their financial support,” Wolf said.
Amy Francis, co-chairwoman, emphasized the downtown location has been a big hit, in part because it helped to recognize and drive traffic to Pottstown’s growing number of small businesses.
“Pottstown is enjoying a real reputation right now as a fun place with a lot of family-friendly events going on every weekend,” Francis said. “Street Fest and our other July 4 activities will spotlight Pottstown’s ongoing revitalization and allow Borough families and visitors alike to celebrate our beautiful hometown.”