UNIVERSITY PARK — Mother Nature played tricks on 4thFest goers this past weekend, but when it was time to send the rockets into the air, she dismissed the clouds and allowed for an enjoyable evening celebrating the country’s 240th birthday.
“I think we had a great event this year,” said Karl Libhart, executive director of the 4thFest Committee. “Sure, we had a little rain and things were damp, but when it came time for the fireworks, there was just a slight drizzle. People didn’t seem to mind at all.”
Libhart said estimated crowd numbers were not yet available, but he feels this year’s event was one of the best attended in the celebration’s history.
“We’re confident the numbers are going to be high, just by judging from the crowds we’ve seen,” said Libhart. “I think when we do put an estimate on the number of people who attended, it will be right up there with some of our best shows ever.”
This year, the 4thFest was celebrated over a two-day period because of the extended weekend. Libhart said opening activities a day early brought people who may not have attended otherwise.
“It started a little slow on Sunday, but by 6:30 or so, the crowds really started to gather around the music stages. Then, when the Spikes game was over, it got really busy.
“I’m guessing there were 100 to 200 people at each stage. It was impressive, to say the least.”
According to Libhart, the committee not yet sure if it will make next year’s event a two-day celebration.
“The main reason we had the event on Sunday was because of the long holiday weekend,” he said. “Before we can make a decision about doing it again next year, we’re going to need to look at the results financially, as well as attendance numbers. We also have to take into consideration the toll it takes on our volunteers.
“We have a lot to look at before making that kind of decision.”
A highlight of the event occurred on the morning of July 4. With the sun shining, more than 1,000 people participated in the Firecracker Run. This year, the committee added a longer 4-mile race to the already established 4K run. Libhart said more than 800 people registered ahead of time for the event and there were “300 to 400 walk-ups” the morning of the race.
“We couldn’t be any more pleased with that,” he said. “I knew looking at the pre-registration numbers that it was a good idea to add that longer race. The numbers we had sign up the morning before solidified that.
“We’re definitely going to be running the longer race again next year.”
Mother Nature complied fully throughout the day and the sun shined during the Parade of Heroes in downtown State College, as well as during the music and live performances scheduled throughout the day. The rain began in the early evening, but according to Libhart it did not affect the mood of those waiting for the sky to light up.
“People were content to sit through the rain and drizzle to wait for the fireworks. Thankfully, when it was time to get the show going, it all stopped.”
Cleanup began almost immediately after the final shell was launched. The committee’s first priority was to clean the litter from the nearby Penn State parking lots so they could be used by employees returning to work. On Tuesday, more than 70 people with public service obligations spread out over the adjacent fields to pick up debris from the exploded fireworks.
“Everything will be finished up by Tuesday evening,” Libhart said. “And, if not, there will just be a little to do on Wednesday morning. We have the cleanup down to a science now.”
The committee will now begin looking forward to next year’s event. Libhart said once it reviews financial and attendance numbers, it will be able to begin preparing for 4thFest 2017.
