The coronavirus pandemic has altered many 4th of July festivities like public fireworks displays and the annual Welcome America concert. People are finding alternative ways to celebrate America’s birthday.
“Everybody’s canceling their fireworks so I’m gonna blow some stuff [fireworks] up on my own,” Frank Savoy said as he was describing his plans for his family at the shore.
The line wrapped around Phantom Fireworks in Delaware County as people planned to get their hands on some celebratory explosives. Most municipalities have canceled or postponed their fireworks amid Coronavirus concerns.
According to Regional Manager Taylor Truitt, there has been an uptick in sales. He attributes this to people tired of being in their homes and the recent cancellations of public fireworks in the area.
“We’ve seen basically a double increase in our consumers coming in. We have a 50% new rate of new customers coming into the showroom,” Truitt said.
Upper Darby is among a long list of where fireworks displays have been canceled, which is where Bryan Carroll is from. He is making the best out of the current situation.
“I mean, what are you going to do? This is the state of things that we live in, you know. It’s gonna get better. It won’t be like this forever,” Carroll said.
Public health experts still warn that getting together in large groups is risky given the number of COVID-19 cases in the city every day.
“From a pure public health perspective, any large gathering is not a great idea,” Bucks County Health Department Director Dr. David Damsker explains.
Due to the public health crisis, Wawa’s Welcome America festivities have been moved to a virtual format. President & CEO Michael Delbene says a lot of thought went into this decision.
“Our commitment was to preserve the festival, to maintain it in some way, and to make sure we continue that strong tradition of Wawa Welcome America in Philadelphia,” Delbene said.
People can watch the main concert featuring Jason Derulo and Cynthia Erivo accompanied by the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia. The concert will be broadcast on NBC10 beginning at 8 p.m. on July 4, 2020.
Be the first to comment