The Fourth of July Committee in Lititz Springs Park posted the following message on their Facebook page today.  Click here to move to their page.

"Announcement from the Fourth of July Committee in Lititz Springs Park:

The July 4th celebration at Lititz Springs Park will look very different this year. To mark the continuation of the tradition in it's 203rd year, the celebration will be marked by holding the 79th annual Queen of Candles pageant only. Additionally, the ceremony will take place in a closed venue with invitations to family of the court members only. After much discussion and under guidance from many local and state officials, the difficult decision was made this week to protect the health and safety of our community by forgoing the traditional event, which draws crowds of over 12,000 people annually. Instead, the ceremony will be broadcast locally on Blue Ridge Cable and livestreamed on various social media outlets so that additional family members, friends, and classmates can view the program.

It breaks our hearts to see all our hard work and big ideas that we had in the works be put on hold this year. The decision was not made lightly, and many alternative options were explored. However, without a clearer understanding of when Lancaster County will pass from the yellow to green phase, and more importantly, what size gatherings will even be allowed once we do return to green, there is no feasible way to move forward with an event that plans for such a large crowd in a contained space. Even if we do happen to be in green by July 4th, there would surely be new protocols in place for distancing, sanitation, queue lines, and even a maximum capacity allowance that would simply not be cost effective. At the end of the day, this event is a fundraiser for Lititz Springs Park and trying to pull off our usual event too early after this crisis could end up costing the park way more than we could potentially profit.

There will be more fun ideas coming soon with ways we can still unite together as a community and celebrate this year. Sadly, fireworks and musical acts will not be a part of that this year. As the biggest expense associated with the event, there is no way to pull off a privately funded fireworks show if there is no entrance gate. We have been strongly advised against doing anything that would potentially draw a crowd to the park. At this point, we have to plan everything around the assumption that we could still be in a yellow phase in early July. As much as many of us wanted to try and give the town it's beloved pyromusical, it would be socially irresponsible of this committee to draw a sizable crowd in and try to maintain social distancing orders.

We know this year will go down in history for the Fourth of July in Lititz, much like the year of the baseball game during the Civil War. We are pleased that we found a creative way to acknowledge the holiday and that the tradition can continue into it's 204th consecutive year in 2021. Yes, we are making some big sacrifices this year, but nothing is more important the health and safety of our community and neighbors. We know that Lititz will come through this stronger than ever and the moment it has been cleared to gather together again, we have no doubt that we will find a way to celebrate in our usual BIG fashion - fireballs and all! We can't wait for that day!

Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks about ways that you can still support the park and participate in July 4th themed activities around town with your families."