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Jenny Robinson
Director of Public Relations
(215) 683-2211 (office)
527-9488 (cell)
jenny.robinson@phila.gov
SPECTACULAR SHOW ON TAP FOR PHILADELPHIA’S JULY 4TH
Performers include Garth Brooks, Morgan Freeman, Mel Gibson, Jill Scott
PHILADELPHIA, PA – June 18, 2001 – One of the most memorable moments of the July 4th celebration in Philadelphia will be a dramatic public reading of the Declaration of Independence by a dozen distinguished actors, including Academy Award winners Mel Gibson, Kathy Bates and Morgan Freeman, as well as country music superstar Garth Brooks. The public reading will be part of a patriotic finale to the 2001 Sunoco Welcome America! Festival, an eight-day celebration of more than 50 free events in the city of America’s birth.
The famous steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art are the stage for the July 4th evening entertainment. In addition to the celebrity reading, Grammy Award winner Garth Brooks will also perform, as well as Philadelphia native and Grammy-nominated R&B singer Jill Scott, the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America, and a 75-voice multicultural choir assembled from local houses of worship. A dazzling display of fireworks and special effects, choreographed to patriotic music, will conclude 14 hours of July 4th activities.
On July 4th, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence and then sent copies by horseback throughout the colonies so that the people could hear the call for independence. Thomas Jefferson always meant for the document to be read aloud. So on this 225th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence producer Norman Lear will bring that vision to reality by mounting this unprecedented recitation of the words that inspired a nation and the world.
Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street welcomes everyone to celebrate America’s biggest birthday party with this star-studded mix of Philadelphians and national talent. Sunoco Welcome America! is the city’s official Independence Day Celebration. The Festival is expected to attract 2.5 million people from June 27th to July 4th for fireworks, concerts, parades, film screenings, historic reenactments, an international award, and exciting new activities that focus on kids, education, health and fitness, and our multicultural heritage.
If you go:
Wednesday, July 4, 2001
All events are free and open to the public.
6 p.m. "Pennsylvania Memories Last a Lifetime" Parade. Parade starts at 20th and Arch streets and ends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
8:30 p.m. "Sweet Sounds of Liberty Concert." Bring your blanket or lawn chair and find a spot along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for this thrilling concert highlighted by a memorable reading of the document that started it all 225 years ago -- the Declaration of Independence.
Concert performers include Grammy-winning country music superstar, Garth Brooks, Philadelphia native and Grammy-nominated R&B singer Jill Scott, the United States Air Force Band conducted by Major A. Phillip Waite, and a 75-voice multicultural choir assembled from local houses of worship.
Declaration of Independence readers include Academy Award winners Mel Gibson, Kathy Bates and Morgan Freeman, other distinguished actors and Garth Brooks.
10:30 p.m. Fireworks! This great American evening will culminate with a dazzling fireworks show, choreographed to patriotic music and special effects, all visible from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Visit www.americasbirthday.com for a complete Schedule of all Sunoco Welcome America! events, call (800) 770-5883 or visit the Philadelphia Visitor Center at 16th and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
Welcome America, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a partner with the City of Philadelphia. Created in 1993 to open the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the organization now promotes tourism for the region, civic pride and generates positive attention for Philadelphia around the world. All events are free thanks to the generosity of more than 170 sponsors and partners. For more information, visit the Philadelphia Visitor Center at 16th and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, call 1-800-770-5883 or visit www.americasbirthday.com.
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100 S. Broad Street · Suite 1525 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19110
Phone: (215) 683-2200 Fax: (215) 683-2209 www.americasbirthday.com
