In State College and on the Penn State campus, it’s been a full day of activities for the Central PA 4th Fest. Thursday night, the stage was set for one of the state’s largest fireworks shows.
Its that time when Beaver Stadium football parking lots become the staging and spectator lots for 4th Fest. One day that takes months to plan. Celesta Powell, 4th Fest Executive Director saying: “This is a year around experience. What we’ll do, after we put this to bed, our Committee will meet in July. Talk about what we did in 2024. Give everybody a break and then start again in September.”
4th Fest at one time rated among the best fireworks show in the country, and the largest all Volunteer Fourth of July show in the country. When the pandemic hit, things changed. Powell saying: “A lot of Volunteers were unresponsive to return. Like everything that’s happened past COVID. So we pivoted and this is what we want to put out.” Also in recent years, the costs increasing, 7,000 shells in this year’s show. Powell adding: “Five years ago, shipping fireworks, a lot of them are from China. Some from Spain. Shipping them here, its probably quadrupled, if not higher, in terms of shipping costs.”
Celesta Powell is in her second year as 4th Fest Executive Director. She cites the hundreds of Volunteers working with her, along with Penn State and the community as vital factors in the event’s success. Powell, in closing: “The 4th Fest was created because we feel strongly that the Fourth of July is about all of us. So to put a day together that represents that, I think that’s a daunting task. So its a huge, its a huge endeavor.”