The 36th Annual Easton Heritage Day is set to take place on Sunday, July 7 and will feature the traditional events and activities, along with a few new ones, that attendees of the city's largest annual festival have come to love and expect.
City resident Chris Black will portray Robert Levers, reading the Declaration of Independence at noon on the Heritage Stage. Preceding the reading, a new feature this year will have a number of town criers, lead by Easton town crier David Rose, argue the causes of independence from Great Britain (Patriots) or continued loyalty to King George (Loyalists).
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Easton resident Chris Black, left, will portray Robert Levers
and read the Declaration of Independence at noon at
the 36th Annual Easton Heritage Day on Sunday, July 7. |
Another new attraction at this year’s celebration, said Heritage Day committee chairperson Diane Bower, is a "Trading Post" that will sell t-shirts, pint and shot glasses, tote bags, hats, flags, buttons, and other souvenirs, which will be at Centre Square during the day and near the free bridge at night.
"Our hard-working Heritage Day committee of volunteers has put together a broad range of activities, from walking tours, trolley rides, and horse-drawn carriages to Easton’s historic sites, to lectures and exhibits, children’s activities, a full program of varied, live musical entertainment, and, of course, fireworks, which this year will be more spectacular than ever," Bower said in a media release.
Also making a return this year will be a beer tent, featuring brews based on recipes used by Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. During the evening, craft beers from Easton’s Weyerbacher Brewery and Stoudt’s Brewery, along with a special collaboration brew between ShawneeCraft and Two Rivers Brewery, will be available at the Riverside Park beer tent.
Reenactors from the Revolutionary War, French & Indian War, Civil War, and World War II will be set up in the downtown and Centre Square areas all day, as will period crafters.
The festivities will move from being centered on Centre Square during the day to the riverfront beginning at 4:30 p.m. More live music, food, and other activities are planned prior to the annual fireworks show, which will take place at 9:30 p.m.
The full schedule of the 36th Annual Easton Heritage Day is:
9 a.m. – First United Church of Christ will serve as the host church for this year’s ecumenical worship service in union with First Presbyterian, St. John’s Lutheran, and Trinity Episcopal Churches. Coffee and refreshments will be served at First UCC, 9 a.m.
10 a.m. – Ecumenical Worship Service at Riverside Park amphitheatre. All are welcome.
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Free admission and tours of Bachmann Publick House. “Hot Looks,” an 18th century fashion show, at 11 a.m., followed by a mock Colonial trial of an alleged horse thief
11 a.m.-5 p.m. – Sigal Museum, “Liberty Called and Northampton County Answered,” a special exhibit of WW I and WW II posters and artifacts, $5 admission
11 a.m. – Sigal Museum, “A Sampling of Easton’s Historic Buildings,” presented by historian Richard Hope
11 a.m. – “For Independence or King George,” argued by American and Canadian town criers, Heritage Stage
12 noon – Reenactment of the reading of the Declaration of Independence by Chris Black, Heritage Stage
12:30 to 5 p.m. – Classic car show with calliope music by George Badger, North Third Street
1 to 4 p.m. – Continuous children’s shows at the Pint-Size Stage, 200 block of Northampton Street in the Kids’ Area, including: Puppets by The Yipee Show, Clancy the Clown, juggling by Alex Kowalcyk, a magic show by Tom Yurasits, and Lilli and Clown
1 to 4 p.m. – Historic Easton Trolley Tour (free) – State Theatre (tour), Easton Area Public Library (view original Easton flag), Jacob Nicholas House (tours 11 a.m.-4 p.m.), Parson Taylor House/St. John’s Lutheran Church, Trinity Episcopal Church
1 to 5 p.m. – Trolley Tour of College Hill, sponsored by the College Hill Neighborhood Association, leaves from Bachmann Publick House on the hour. Nominal fee charged.
1 p.m. – Uke Jackson’s Big Bottom Band, Star Spangled Stage
1 p.m. – Carter Lansing, Homespun Stage
2 p.m. – The Lost Ramblers, Homespun Stage
2:30 p.m. – Music of the Civil War and the Maritimes by The Jolly Tars, Heritage Stage
2:30 p.m. – At the boat launch in Scott Park, Mayor Panto will meet a boat carrying a keg of Three Sisters Brew, a specialty beer made by the Shawnee Craft Brewery. The beverage is made from the three staples of the Colonial era Indians – corn, beans, and squash. Samples of the brew will be available to those over 21 at the Bachmann Publick House.
3 p.m. – Maria Woodford Band, Star Spangled Stage
3 p.m. – Last Small Town, Homespun Stage
3 p.m. – Whitehall Guard, Heritage Stage
4 p.m. – “Be the Bugler,” with bugler, Mayor Panto, and children, Heritage Stage
4:30 p.m. – Heritage Day festivities move to riverfront
4:30 p.m. – Patriot Parade to the Delaware River, leaves from Centre Square
5 p.m. – The Great White Caps, The Dell at Scott Park
6 p.m. – The School of Rock, Riverside Amphitheatre
7:30 p.m. – The Philadelphia Funk Authority, The Dell at Scott Park (and encore after fireworks)
8 p.m. – The Large Flowerheads, Riverside Amphitheatre (and encore after fireworks)
9:30 p.m. – Fireworks viewing from Scott and Riverside Parks
