June 28th, 2011
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Author: Come celebrate America’s independence in the city where it all began — Philadelphia. The Wawa Welcome America celebration is back for another year of music, food and fun, and this year it’s bigger and better than ever before.
Wawa Welcome America is an 11-day free festival with events and activities scattered throughout the city, including the Philadelphia Independence Day Parade. From June 24 to July 4, the city will be celebrating the nation’s birthday in true Philadelphia style, with performances and events that highlight America’s history and its cultural heritage.
Melanie Johnson, city representative and the event’s executive director, said this year Wawa Welcome America will have more than ever to offer visitors.
“This year we’ve added some new elements and we’ve made some changes. Every year I think we’ve gotten better at what we do,” Johnson said.
Some of the events include Taste of Philadelphia, three days of musical performances by Philadelphia’s own; Go 4th and Learn, an educational series for children and their parents; Philly at the Movies, outdoor showings of some great films; Wawa Hoagie Day, a free hoagie feast focused on honoring American troops; Fireworks on the Delaware; and the Philadelphia Independence Day Parade.
Wawa Hoagie Day took place on Independence Mall on June 29, and was designed to be an opportunity for those who work in the city during the week to participate in one of the events.
“At 12 o’clock when people [came] out for lunch, they [found] a 4.5-ton hoagie out on the lawn of Independence Visitors Center,” Johnson said.
Hoagie Day was especially patriotic this year, as it also included a letter-writing station so that guests could write notes of encouragement to troops overseas. There was also a hoagie building competition between Philadelphia police and firefighters, as well as a Hoagie Day proclamation by Mayor Michael Nutter.
The main event of this 11-day-long festival is the Philadelphia Independence Day Parade, which will include more than 4,000 participants from 12 states. One of those participants is Montgomery County’s own Jeffery Chou. Chou was named the 2011 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year this past fall, and will represent American education in the parade.
Chou teaches the sixth grade at Highland Elementary School in Abington. He earned the honor because of his love for his students and his dedication to implementing technology in his classroom. Chou said he is excited to participate in the parade and represent education in America.
“I think in many ways it [education] is the foundation of our society,” Chou said. “What really separates Americans from every other country, including other first-world, free countries, is that we believe that no matter what your background, no matter what your family did, no matter how much money your parents made, you have the availability to rise above whatever adversities you’ve had and become whatever you want.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to kind of remind everybody that one of our core American values that is really strong is education,” Chou continued. “I can’t wait to see it. It includes so many different things. It’s just a great celebration.”
Johnson said one difficulty in putting Welcome America together is trying to provide a wide variety of events and performances. Continued…
“We try to appeal to such a large range of people so that there is something for everyone,” she said. “You’re never going to please everyone. Some people are not going to be happy, regardless, if you do everything right.
“What we try and do is make sure we put together an incredible show of diversity and inclusion — music-wise, food-wise and even our films,” She continued. “But it’s really fun because you get to be really creative and get to know different segments of the population as you meet them. Our parade is so diverse, it’s incredible.”
Johnson also said she and the other event coordinators do their best to make Welcome America as diverse as America itself.
For a complete list of events and a festival schedule, go to www.welcomeamerica.com.
IF YOU GO
Wawa Welcome America
continues through July 4.
For event locations, schedules
or more information, call
215-683-2200 or visit
Come celebrate America’s independence in the city where it all began — Philadelphia. The Wawa Welcome America celebration is back for another year of music, food and fun, and this year it’s bigger and better than ever before.
Wawa Welcome America is an 11-day free festival with events and activities scattered throughout the city, including the Philadelphia Independence Day Parade. From June 24 to July 4, the city will be celebrating the nation’s birthday in true Philadelphia style, with performances and events that highlight America’s history and its cultural heritage.
Melanie Johnson, city representative and the event’s executive director, said this year Wawa Welcome America will have more than ever to offer visitors.
“This year we’ve added some new elements and we’ve made some changes. Every year I think we’ve gotten better at what we do,” Johnson said.
Some of the events include Taste of Philadelphia, three days of musical performances by Philadelphia’s own; Go 4th and Learn, an educational series for children and their parents; Philly at the Movies, outdoor showings of some great films; Wawa Hoagie Day, a free hoagie feast focused on honoring American troops; Fireworks on the Delaware; and the Philadelphia Independence Day Parade.
Wawa Hoagie Day took place on Independence Mall on June 29, and was designed to be an opportunity for those who work in the city during the week to participate in one of the events.
“At 12 o’clock when people [came] out for lunch, they [found] a 4.5-ton hoagie out on the lawn of Independence Visitors Center,” Johnson said.
Hoagie Day was especially patriotic this year, as it also included a letter-writing station so that guests could write notes of encouragement to troops overseas. There was also a hoagie building competition between Philadelphia police and firefighters, as well as a Hoagie Day proclamation by Mayor Michael Nutter.
The main event of this 11-day-long festival is the Philadelphia Independence Day Parade, which will include more than 4,000 participants from 12 states. One of those participants is Montgomery County’s own Jeffery Chou. Chou was named the 2011 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year this past fall, and will represent American education in the parade.
Chou teaches the sixth grade at Highland Elementary School in Abington. He earned the honor because of his love for his students and his dedication to implementing technology in his classroom. Chou said he is excited to participate in the parade and represent education in America.
“I think in many ways it [education] is the foundation of our society,” Chou said. “What really separates Americans from every other country, including other first-world, free countries, is that we believe that no matter what your background, no matter what your family did, no matter how much money your parents made, you have the availability to rise above whatever adversities you’ve had and become whatever you want.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to kind of remind everybody that one of our core American values that is really strong is education,” Chou continued. “I can’t wait to see it. It includes so many different things. It’s just a great celebration.”
Johnson said one difficulty in putting Welcome America together is trying to provide a wide variety of events and performances.
“We try to appeal to such a large range of people so that there is something for everyone,” she said. “You’re never going to please everyone. Some people are not going to be happy, regardless, if you do everything right.
“What we try and do is make sure we put together an incredible show of diversity and inclusion — music-wise, food-wise and even our films,” She continued. “But it’s really fun because you get to be really creative and get to know different segments of the population as you meet them. Our parade is so diverse, it’s incredible.”
Johnson also said she and the other event coordinators do their best to make Welcome America as diverse as America itself.
For a complete list of events and a festival schedule, go to www.welcomeamerica.com.
IF YOU GO
Wawa Welcome America
continues through July 4.
For event locations, schedules
or more information, call
215-683-2200 or visit
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