WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- "It all started here, this is where the men and women first discussed breaking away from England." Bill Schermerhorn said. "If it wasn't for Virginia, I don't know where we'd be today."
Bill Schermerhorn is the creative director for Colonial Williamsburg. He is in charge of planning the Independence Day festivities happening all weekend long in Colonial Williamsburg.
"While we're celebrating, we want to pause and reflect on the sacrifices a lot of men, free and enslaved made,” Schermerhorn said, “To build this country and make it what it is so we can celebrate."
The main attraction is going to be happening at the Palace Greens. People are going to be gathering to see the fireworks as they shoot up behind the Governor's Palace, Sunday night. That show starts at 9 p.m.
It will be the first time in two years that there will be fireworks, after being canceled by the pandemic and a rainstorm the year before.
At the nearby Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, there will be music from the U.S. Air Force Heritage Band and a tribute to six local first responders. Free ice cream will be also be handed out starting at 7 p.m. The concert starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
"We're going to project on the entire art museum, the front of it, a short video recognizing six covid heroes in Williamsburg,” Williamsburg Mayor Douglas Pons said. "These six heroes really made it all possible in Williamsburg."
The video Mayor Pons spoke of is a tribute video in honor of those first responders in answering to the call of duty during the pandemic. It was not just for one specific job, but for any job crucial to the pandemic response.
There's even more to see and it's expected to be crowded, and Mayor Pons urges you to not only bring your patriotism but also bring your patience.
"I want them to go home with a sense of pride, a smile on their face knowing that the birthplace of American democracy in Williamsburg is still thriving," Mayor Pons said
A full list of July 4th events in Williamsburg can be found here.
