Lewisburg plans two-day patriotic celebration with drone show and fireworks

Lewisburg is setting up for a two-day Independence Day celebration built around a first for Union County: a drone light show with 250 drones, followed by fireworks at Wolfe Field. The Friday-to-Saturday schedule also includes a concert, a downtown parade and added activities tied to America’s 250th birthday.

Terry Burke, president of the Union County Veterans’ 4th of July Committee, Inc., said the nonprofit has worked toward a bigger celebration for years and teamed with America250PA to make the county’s semiquincentennial observance more memorable. The committee, based at P.O. Box 544 in Lewisburg, says its motto is “One Nation… Communities United,” and it has set the anticipated cost of the 2026 event at $100,000.

Friday’s main program begins at 7 p.m. June 26 at Wolfe Field, where the West Branch Chorus will sing the national anthem and food vendors will be on site. The Lucky Afternoon Band is scheduled to perform, and at dusk the county’s first-ever drone light show will launch. Hire UAV Pro, a Colorado company that has worked major events and professional sports organizations, will provide the drones. After the aerial display, Bixler Pyrotechnics of Ashland will handle the fireworks, giving spectators at least 30 minutes of showtime in the sky.

The celebration is being billed as part of the run-up to the nation’s 250th anniversary, with funding supported by a $20,000 America250PA grant and sponsorships from Weis Markets, Geisinger and WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital. America250PA says the statewide effort was created in 2018 to coordinate Pennsylvania’s role in the semiquincentennial, and the organization has awarded $1 million in grants across two funding rounds in 2024-25.

Saturday’s centerpiece will be the 4th of July Gala Parade at 10 a.m. June 27 in downtown Lewisburg. Separate event listings say North Shore Railroad will add two train rides from Hufnagle Park at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with tickets priced at $25 each. RiverStage Community Theatre also has scheduled a special 6 p.m. performance of “1776” on June 26 so spectators can still make the drone show and fireworks.

The celebration has spread beyond the main stage. A home-and-business decorating contest runs through June 20, with $100 prizes for the most patriotic home and business in the SUN counties. Limited-edition “Happy 250th, America!” shirts were designed by Mifflinburg High School student McKenna Fogle, and a Union County 250th photo exhibition and contest is running through Dec. 25, with a commemorative photo book and 2027 calendar planned. The committee is also seeking veterans to take part in the parade and local sponsors to help underwrite the weekend’s events.