Leetsdale July 4 parade and festivities back after pandemic hiatus

Michael Divittorio | Friday, June 24, 2022 6:01 a.m.

Fireworks, inflatables and fun are just a few features for the return of Leetsdale’s Fourth of July festivities.

The Independence Day celebration was canceled in 2020, and only fireworks marked the borough’s recognition of the holiday last year.

Event committee chair Laura Mastrorocco said her group is excited to bring back a lot of festival favorites this time around.

“It’s super meaningful this year,” she said. “We’re new committee members who are newly involved in the Fourth of July. It’s a big year. We’ve had a lot of challenges and had to do all the fundraising for the event. There are very few of us and we all work full-time. We’ve been spread very thin.”

The event begins with a parade at 10 a.m. July 4.

It starts at the corner of Village Drive and Beaver Street by the Giant Eagle. It will travel down Beaver Street to Broad Street and ends at Henle Park near the corner of Ferry and Broad streets. Multiple police, fire and EMS units are expected to have their vehicles in the parade.

Quaker Valley High School marching band plans to entertain the crowds, and the Leetsdale Garden Club and other organizations are expected to have floats.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the parade.

Mastrorocco said it traditionally started at 2 p.m. However, the time was changed for safety reasons – she said the committee learned people in previous years had to be hospitalized with heat exhaustion from marching and participating in the event in the afternoon, and believes a morning start would help matters.

There will also be a sensory-friendly zone set up along Broad Street for those who have a tough time with sirens and other loud noises. The parade theme is United We Stand.

Activities are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Henle Park.

Local singer John Tucci will sing the National Anthem, and other entertainment includes jugglers and balloon artists, three food trucks and one food tent and the aforementioned inflatables for the children. The park’s splash pad will also be open.

Food vendors include Kona Ice, Grills on Wheels, Beatnik Sweet Eats and Los Gingos Tacos.

Several bands will take the stage, starting with Bobby Thompson and the Groove at 3 p.m., Rev Ezra and the Lone Pines at 5 p.m. and Identity Crisis at 7 p.m.

Leetsdale VFW Post 3372, adjacent to the park, will be open for beer sales.

A Zambelli fireworks extravaganza closes out the night. One of the best views for it is on the hill overlooking the Quaker Valley High School practice field, according to Mastrorocco. Fireworks will be launched from a storage area in Edgeworth.

Mastrorocco said it costs about $25,000 to host the event, with a big expense being explosives.

“After missing one year of everything and only having fireworks last year, we found it necessary to not skip the fireworks this year,” she said. “We didn’t back down even though the prices went up significantly … It’s to bring together people in the community and unite everyone.

“We have quite a lineup a full day of events. We hope people come from far and wide after all the effort we want lots of people to enjoy this day.”

It took a full year of planning and fundraising to put it all together.

The Leetsdale celebration also serves as July 4 activities for neighboring towns.

Leet Township manager Betsy Rengers said it will participate in the parade.

Sewickley council president Cynthia Mullins said her borough’s big celebration is Memorial Day and complimented Leetsdale’s fireworks display.

Admission is free.

More information about the event is available at facebook.com/Leetsdale4thofjulycelebration or email leetsdalefourthofjuly@gmail.com.