America 250 celebration happening in Green Bay on July 4

This July 4, Green Bay will celebrate America turning 250 with an America 250 program held in Leicht Memorial Park ahead of the annual Fire Over the Fox programming.

“We have a Fourth of July celebration downtown every year thanks to On Broadway and other groups that come together for our nation’s founding,” said Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich. “We’re all really excited to be back together here on July 4 to do things in a big, patriotic way to demonstrate who we are as a people, who we’ve been as a country and what we hope to achieve in the future.”

Beginning at 10 a.m. in Leicht Memorial Park, programming will highlight history, culture and community.

The event will feature a traditional color guard, Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem performed by Green Bay Southwest High School singers; a poetry reading with City Poet Laureate Miriam Brabham; reflections on the Oneida Nation and the contributions during the Revolutionary War; remarks from local leaders; a performance by the Oneida Smoke Dancers; live music by the Weidner Philharmonic Brass Ensemble and a drumline performance.

“We’re incredibly excited to be included in the celebration,” said Kelli Strickland, executive and artistic director at the Weidner. “One of the ways that societies and civilizations celebrate who they are is through their arts and culture. It’s our expression of identity and of our values and our principles. America is a relatively young country and as such, so is our culture. We’re a constantly evolving merging of traditions and global influences. One of the things that is special about Weidner Philharmonic is that we represent a broad spectrum of repertoire and this concert will be no different. The Brass Ensemble will include repertoire from American luminary composers like John Philip Sousa — you cannot have a Fourth of July celebration without John Philip Sousa — and John Williams and Leonard B. Bernstein, as well as emerging American composition voices.”

After the America 250 programming concludes, Fire Over the Fox will return, featuring live music, family-friendly activities and a fireworks show to light up the Fox River skyline.
“We see this as the opportunity to pilot things to learn what works, what the community wants and how [Fire Over the Fox] can be reshaped as we move forward to really make sure that we’re honoring and recognizing what the Fourth of July is about,” said Brian Johnson, President and CEO at On Broadway, Inc. “And of course, that is celebrating Independence Day and not just throwing a big block party — though the two can certainly coexist. We want to make sure our focus is what the celebration is really about.”