After months of planning, Fourth of July Celebration Committee Chairperson Tim Reedy faced one final decision on the morning of July 4, 2015: whether to go ahead with the 198th continuous Lititz Fourth of July Celebration under drizzle, gray skies and a forecast for rain until late afternoon.
The committee went ahead. Lititz Springs Park opened an hour and a half late so the ground could dry. Wooden boards covered muddy patches and mulch filled slick spots. A light drizzle fell most of the day, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the crowd, many of them first-timers.
New faces
“I can’t believe how patriotic Pennsylvania is,” said Erik Avis, a first-time visitor who had recently left the Marines after serving in Afghanistan and Japan and was preparing to start classes at Penn State Berks. “I love seeing the American flags. I’m a huge patriot at heart.”
There were plenty to see. Earlier in the week, volunteers organized by veteran Matt Good had placed more than 4,000 flags in the Lititz Moravian Church Square, and flags lined downtown streets and the park.
Introducing Elvis
Even veterans of the celebration, the second-longest continuous Fourth of July celebration in the country, had new experiences. WJTL radio personality Lisa Landis, emceeing for the fourth year, got a career first.
“I got to introduce Elvis!” she said before judging the 26th annual Baby Parade, which featured an Elvis tribute artist. “I never thought I would be introducing Elvis in my lifetime.”
Facing uncertain weather, Landis brought several outfits, including the evening gown for the Queen of the Candles Pageant. “I think the Cookie Car has more clothes than cookies this year,” she joked.
Music and dancing
The Lititz Community Band played an hour of patriotic music. Near the end, director Heidi Limbert introduced a fitting choice for the weather: Strauss’s “Thunder and Lightning Polka.” “And it moves,” she said.
The Mama Tried Band got people dancing at the gazebo and later in the band shell. Lead singer Dorden Bivings said his first job after moving to Lancaster a decade earlier was at the Wilbur Chocolate factory next to the park. “I passed this park every day, and never came here,” he said. “Here it is ten years later, I’m celebrating July 4th with my family, and it’s just great.”
Queen of the Candles
The 74th Queen of the Candles Pageant crowned Reagan Elizabeth Conrad, chosen by her Warwick High School classmates. She led her court to the stone bridge and lit the first candle along Lititz Run, beginning the 172nd Grand Illumination of Candles.
Eleven-year-old Conner Kim, at his first Lititz Fourth, admitted he hadn’t wanted to come. “But now that I came I’m really enjoying it,” he said in the glow of thousands of candles. “It looks really beautiful.”
Fireworks with a fifties theme
Daytime crowds were light, but evening brought a bigger turnout. Matthew Sweigart, attending for the sixth year, said the previous year’s Wizard of Oz-themed show would be “hard to top.” His nephew, Avis, waited in line for fried zucchini and looked forward to the 1950s theme.
A visitor from Puerto Rico was so taken with the town that she said she wanted to move there. “Me encanta,” she said. “I love it.”
Before the show, a DJ led group dancing in the fields. “Dancing to the Cupid Shuffle with thousands of other excited, patriotic friends was quite the fun experience,” photographer Megan Nicole wrote on Instagram.
The music-synchronized fireworks ended with a finale bursting behind Wilbur Chocolate, closing a day of firsts with a bang.
This story was originally reported by Lynn Rebuck for LititzDailyNews.com in July 2015 and has been updated for our archive.