Shippensburg Fireworks Display
Thursday, July 4, 2024
Veterans Stadium
Shippensburg Memorial Park
Schedule:
5:00 PM - Gates Open
8:00 PM - Shippensburg Town Band
9:15 PM - National Anthem
9:30 PM - Firework Show Time
Food Truck: Dougies BBQ will be setup inside the stadium from 5:00-8:00pm. Ice.Custard.Happiness: Rita’s Italian Ice will be setup inside the stadium from 5:00-9:30pm.
DUE TO LIMITED STAFF, THE STADIUM WILL BE OPEN FOR VIEWING BUT THERE WILL BE NO ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES OR GAMES.
— What To Expect —
The fireworks are all set to happen on Thursday, July 4th!
The gates will be open into Veterans Stadium for people to place chair and blankets — and have a spot to sit and relax as time leads into the evening.
The gates into the stadium will officially be opened at 5:00pm (although entry should be available well in advance) as a viewing area, but the back-half of park will be off-limits to spectators and unfortunately to those who wish to use pavilions, the playground area, most fields, and basketball courts from the point the firework shells are set and connected.
The firework company, MBT Pyrotechnics LLC, will be connecting electronic controls to the fireworks that will require a safety perimeter be set; therefore, at 2:00pm we ask that you only enter area’s where it’s permitted — and again, unfortunately at that time the playground equipment, pavilions, a large section of the parking lot, a couple of our fields, and basketball courts will be unavailable. This is for everyone’s safety, so please pay attention and do not enter beyond caution tape or restricted markings.
Parking will be limited — the back section of the large packing lot will be in the safety perimeter so please do not park, or leave vehicles unattended (they will be towed) after 2:00pm, in that area. There will be cones and barriers in place, so please pay attention to located markers. Some parking will be available in the large lot (closest to the soccer field).
A food truck will be on site, with a setup inside the stadium near the main gate. Joining us this year is Dougies BBQ, offering select items from their menu starting at 5:00pm. Plus, coming from right up the road — Rita’s Italian Ice will be joining the fun to help you stay cool with a selection. Come hungry and grab some smokehouse-cooking and other goodies.
We do not plan on having any other concession option; just the food truck. For that reason, family’s are permitted to bring snacks and beverages of their own — or even bring a football or frisbees to throw inside the stadium as they enjoy the evening. Cornhole and other various lawn games are also permitted in spots with proper spacing. Come have a picnic!
Normal walkways, foot-paths, and general area’s where pedestrians may typically cross will be off-limits. Please be mindful of posted caution areas and not enter the safety perimeter. To help aid getting around we will have all gates/access points into the stadium open — meaning if you are looking for a ‘short-cut’ you can walk through the stadium to get to the other side.
We will have the Shippensburg Town Band playing, each year it’s alternated between the town-band and town swing-band. This year will be the town band — they start at 8:00pm and play until about 8:45pm. They will be set up in the area of the concrete bleachers.
Aside from the Town Band we do not have any other entertainment planned this year, nor are there any scheduled events taking placing — music will be played over the stadium sound system, featuring a variety of today’s top hits, classics, and patriotic songs (plenty of room to dance!)
Shortly following the concert-bands performance, we will be turning the lights off at the stadium (they will be turned back on after the fireworks).
Annoucements will be made through the PA-system throughout the evening, please listen closely for instruction as well as a list of our sponsors (those who donated money).
At roughly 9:15pm the national anthem will be played over the sound system, during which a few fireworks are usually let off (it’s not the start of the show) as a test. The show time is set for roughly 9:30pm and should last around 20 minutes.
Traffic afterwords will be aided by the Shippensburg Police Department and Borough workers with extra measures in place at intersections and with light controls; however, if you are parked within the park please follow exit procedures and be careful existing as we do anticipate things taking 20 minutes to clear out as people leave. Be cautious of pedestrians! We will also have fire trucks and ambulance on location during the day for safety purposes.
The rain date is set for Friday, July 5th. Information regarding the delay, postponement, or cancellation of the firework’s will be conveyed through social media. A determination will be made based on the suggestion of the host company’s analysis of the conditions — rain in the forecast throughout the day does not always mean the show won’t happen as planned; however, a decision will likely be made prior to the time controls are set to the shells.
SPONSOR LIST — BUSINESSES & ORGANIZATIONS THAT DONATED
Chamberlin Pest ControlDugan Funeral Home & CrematoriumTodd West: State Farm AgentBeistle CompanyFogelsanger-Bricker Funeral Home & CrematoriumSalzmann-Hughes: Attorneys At LawPorter's Carpet & FurniturePague & Fegan: True Value Hardware StoreAmerican Legion Post 223Chamberlin & Wingert Sanitary ServiceAdams ElectricWadels Heating & AirPatriot Federal Credit UnionCarl L. Cramer: Erie InsuranceVolvo Power EquipmentSouthampton Township Cumberland CountyMinnequa Social ClubShippensburg Township