SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— It's a yearly tradition and an early start to the holiday weekend.
The Scrantastic Spectacular Fourth of July celebration kicked off Thursday in downtown Scranton.
28/22's Avery Nape was there all afternoon.
What a day it was. It got off to a shaky start with the wind and rain, but ended up being a beautiful day and a perfect way to kick off the big weekend.
Music, food, and most of all, patriotism. The 13th Scrantastic Spectacular kicked off Thursday afternoon on Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton, giving people a head start on the holiday weekend.
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Some of them, already looking ahead to next year.
"I come every year, and this is a great opportunity to kick off the 250th birthday of America. Now imagine next year what this is gonna be like? So, I'm really excited, there's a lot of people, the weather came out, the weather held up," commented Michael Taluto, Scranton.
And the weather did in fact hold up.
What started as a windy, rainy day turned out to be beautiful and sunny, not a cloud in the sky.
Dozens of food and craft vendors filled the square.
Performances from multiple bands including the Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic went on throughout the evening and of course, hundreds of people celebrating America's independence converged on Courthouse Square donning red, white, and blue.
All to show what patriotism means to them.
"It means a lot to me. It means to show that I have pride in America, and that we are the greatest country on earth and that we're free. Freedom is the most important thing," voiced Taluto.
And to some, it's about honoring those who fought for our freedom.
"People don't actually know what it's about. They think it's about partying and fireworks and stuff like that, and it's actually about people who have served our country," expressed Jeff Whitney, Scranton.
And while the holiday isn't about partying or fireworks, the display at the end of the night made for a memorable start to a patriotic weekend.
"It's great to be American, and it's great to be free," added Taluto.
While the celebration has wrapped up for this year, there will be plenty more Fourth of July fun happening all over our area in the coming days.
