I had an interesting week with a photo job thanks to my good friend, Cassandra Coleman.
Cassandra, as everyone in Greater Pittston should know by now, is the America250PA executive director, who has been the driving force behind the statewide movement in recognizing the nation’s 250th birthday on July 4 of this year.
Now, if you were not aware of such a movement, you’d have to be living under a rock, but as we get closer to Independence Day, you will definitely know America250PA.
Locally, America250PA is putting on a major concert at Kirby Park featuring national country act Lady A with special guests R&B legends, En Vogue, who have sold over 20 million records worldwide.
The free concert — yes, I said free — is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, June 20, with doors opening at 5 p.m., 38,000 tickets are up for grabs for the show, and there are tickets still available.
The show is general admission with preferred standing room only.
I can’t remember the last time Kirby Park had such big names perform along the Susquehanna River. Someone told me the Beach Boys had a concert there, and that was pretty jammed.
America250PA hired me to photograph the latest in the installation of the Semiquincentennial Bell, which is an exact replica of the famous Liberty Bell, housed in Philadelphia.
I photographed two other such installations, one at Dennis Farm, a 200-plus-acre farm settled by free African Americans who moved to Susquehanna Co. from Connecticut after the Revolutionary War. The farm is still held by descendants of the Dennis family all these years later.
I also shot the bell installation at the Hawley Silk Mill in 2024. The Silk Mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was selected by America250PA to honor the early settlers and immigrants, primarily women, whose entrepreneurial spirit, grit, and determination helped forge this great nation during the Industrial Revolution.
The tie-in with Allentown is very interesting, and I will bet most of you reading this column were unaware.
In 1777, when Philadelphia fell to the British, the then State House Bell, better known as the Liberty Bell, was feared to be captured by the British to be melted down for cannon balls or bullets.
The bell was secretly taken by stagecoach to Allentown and hidden under the floorboards of the Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ for nearly nine months.
A replica of the Liberty Bell sits in the basement of the church, noting the historical significance of the church’s role in the Revolutionary War.
It is all quite fascinating knowing there is so much of American history we aren’t quite familiar. I’ve always loved American history, and this is one part of history my American History teacher, Dr. Sheldon Spear, did not go over back when.
The Semiquincentennial Bell is a six-foot, 1,500-pound bronze bell that was unveiled and sits in front of Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ at the corner of South Church and Hamilton Street.
I’m so honored to be a part of the Semiquincentennial Bell installations, photographing three of the six ceremonies.
There are three-foot bell replicas dotted all over the Commonwealth, including three in Luzerne County. Each bell had an artist paint a scene on the bell representing the area they were designated.
Luzerne County has three such bells installed and West Pittston artist, Anna Dowse, was lucky enough to be chosen to paint one of them titled, “Building Blocks of Life.” You can see Anna’s work and the bell at The Mericle Family Center for Early Childhood Education on 1122 Oak St., Pittston, right outside the building.
There is another bell that can be found at the Luzerne County Visitor’s Bureau at the Train Station on Pennsylvania Boulevard. Artist Kyle Stratton painted the bell titled, “Valley and Surrounding” and can be found at The Wright Center for Community Health, 169 N. Pennsylvania Blvd.
I have to say, being involved in a small way in the America250PA movement has given me a great deal of pride in being an American.
I believe that since the country is divided politically, I hope that by the time the Fourth of July rolls around, maybe everyone can put down their animosities and divisions and get into the spirit of the 250th anniversary of the USA.
We do live in a great country, the greatest, and there’s nothing like feeling the pride of being an American than the Fourth of July.
Cassandra and her team, and she oversees an extensive team of highly qualified individuals, keeping the America250PA movement going.
I know a lot of Pennsylvanians are not aware, even as we grow ever closer to July 4th, of its existence, and I’m sure it’s frustrating to those working in the initiative, but trust me when I tell you, they all have put in much thought and effort into everything they have done to put Pennsylvania and America in the forefront of the semiquincentennial.
The team has educated elementary students in all 67 counties of the Commonwealth, both in PA and in the USA. Cassandra has logged thousands and thousands of miles covering Pennsylvania, and it will all pay off on July 4.
Hats off to Cassandra and all of her team.
Quote of the week
“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” —Harry S. Truman
Thought of the week
“The essence of America — that which really unites us — is not ethnicity, or nationality, or religion. It is an idea.” —Theodore H. White
Bumper sticker
“America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.” —Paul Tsongas
