Lehigh County Bicentennial

03/02/2012

One more week to go! Join us next Saturday for an amazing family fun filled day. Over 75 different vendors, Hall of Fame honorees, interactive fun, amazing displays and fireworks to complete the night! Go to our website to get more details! You don't to miss it.

Celebrate Lehigh County's Bicentennial

01/23/2012

Lehigh County Celebrates 200th Anniversary with Community Celebration
Saturday, March 10, 2012 11am-8pm

The committee will host historic, interactive and educational exhibits offered by various organizations, businesses, and non-profits that have enriched the county throughout the years. Applications for participation in the Community Celebration are being accepted through February 3, 2012,

The highlight of the celebration will be an Inaugural Hall of Fame Ceremony at 6:00 p.m. to honor nationally recognized people with connections to Lehigh County. The day-long event will culminate with a spectacular fireworks display at 8:00 p.m.

Special guests include Ferrous and FeFe as well as Pip the Mouse. Some of the scheduled festivities include performances by Balloons the Clown, area high school bands and the Lehigh County Historical Society. Interactive activities for children will be presented by DaVinci Science Center, the Lehigh Valley Zoo, the Liberty Bell Museum, the Museum of Indian Culture and the Wildlands Conservancy.

Warm up your pitching arm as the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs will test the speed and accuracy of your throw and many other fun activities for kids of all ages! Lehigh County’s Emergency Management Department will have displays and activities for children and tours of the Mobile Command Post. There will also be demonstrations by the Special Operations Team. Members of the Cetronia Ambulance Corps will bring Andy the Ambulance, a robot which teaches small children about safety and 9-1-1 education as well as other advanced life-saving equipment and demonstrations. The Lehigh Valley Health Network will be attending with various health awareness and safety programs.

Lehigh County’s Bicentennial events and projects would not be possible without the support of community partners such as Coca-Cola Bottling Company of the Lehigh Valley, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Air Products, PPL, Highmark Blue Shield, Boyle Construction, The Morning Call, WFMZ, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, Jaindl, DeSales University, Alvin H. Butz, Inc., Lutron, Penn State Lehigh Valley, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Via Media, Arcadia Properties, LLC, Franklin Development Corporation, Samuel Adams/Boston Brewing, TD Bank, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, Capital Blue Cross, Caruso Benefits, Wells Fargo, Franklin Realty Development Corporation, Computer Aid, Inc., Lehigh Valley International Airport and others.

All proceeds from Lehigh County’s Bicentennial activities will support enhancements to the George Taylor House in the Borough of Catasauqua. George Taylor was one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence and helped shape the foundation of Lehigh County.

For more information or booth participation, please contact Gina Koinski, Lehigh County Event Planning Administrator, 610-782-3855 or [email protected]

11/04/2011

One week to go until the festivities begin! If you're looking to join us for an exciting evening, contact Jill Slivka at 610-782-3001 or [email protected] before its too late!

11/02/2011

Donald T. Cunningham, Jr., Chair

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
Nov. 2, 2011 Frank Kane, (610)782-3001

Coca-Cola Bottling Company of the Lehigh Valley Named as Presenting Sponsor
for Lehigh County’s Bicentennial Celebration Public Gala at LV Heritage Museum next Friday (11/11) to kick-off events

(Allentown): Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham today announced that Coca-Cola Bottling Company of the Lehigh Valley will be the presenting sponsor for Lehigh County’s Bicentennial Celebration activities.

The Bicentennial events will begin next Friday (11/11) with a public Gala to be held at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum and historic Trout Hall, 432 W. Walnut St., Allentown. Tickets are $125 per person or $240 per couple and available to the public. They can be purchased by calling Lehigh County’s Executive Office at 610-782-3001.

“We are honored to have Coca-Cola Bottling Company of the Lehigh Valley as the presenting sponsor for next year’s Bicentennial Celebration,” said Cunningham, who also chairs the Lehigh County Bicentennial Committee. “Coca-Cola is not only one of our best employers in the county but it’s also is one of our best community partners. We plan to make this celebration of the County’s Bicentennial a community event with a focus on honoring our history and heritage.”

Coca-Cola is also the named sponsor of Lehigh County’s baseball stadium – Coca-Cola Park -- home to the Philadelphia Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate the Iron Pigs.

“We are very proud to support Lehigh County and to be part of its Bicentennial Celebration as the presenting sponsor,” said Joe Brake, Vice President and General Manager of Coca-Cola Bottling Company of the Lehigh Valley. “Lehigh County is the home to many of our employees, neighbors, customers and our consumers. This is a way we can give back in appreciation of Lehigh County’s long history of helping our company and others in the community.”

Next Friday’s Gala will raise funds and begin the events planned to celebrate the Bicentennial. More than 25 area companies and institutions have signed on as Bicentennial sponsors, including PPL, Air Products and Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Dress for the Gala is cocktail wear. Black tie is not required. Guests will enjoy dinner, drinks and dancing to the band Joyous. The event will take place throughout the exhibit halls of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum and neighboring Trout Hall and will include silent auction items donated by area businesses and municipalities. Actors in period dress from Lehigh County’s founding year will roam the grounds while guests are entertained by a historic fife and drum group.

Lehigh County was created on March 6, 1812. In recognition of its 200th year, a Bicentennial Committee was formed last year to plan appropriate events to recognize the county’s history. A community Bicentennial Celebration will be held next Saturday, March 10 at the Agri-Plex of the Allentown Fairgrounds that features ethnic food and drink and the music of the various cultures and organizations that comprise Lehigh County. Churches, schools, historical societies, ethnic organizations, neighborhood groups and other organizations are invited to attend.

The highlight of the Bicentennial Celebration will be the induction of a star-studded inaugural class of 26 people into the newly-formed Lehigh County Hall of Fame. Inductees represent a variety of fields including the arts, business, the military and communications and writing and will include people from Lehigh County who have achieved national prominence. Inductees will be announced during the first quarter of next year.

In addition to the Gala and the Community Celebration, the Bicentennial Committee has selected two legacy projects to preserve and promote the county’s history. A commemorative history book is being developed under the leadership of local historian Frank Whelan and a panel of historians, while funds are being raised to preserve and promote the George Taylor House in Catasauqua. George Taylor was one of only 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence and the National Historical Register house and property is one of only a handful of remaining original houses of the nation’s founders. All proceeds from the Gala and the sponsors will support the George Taylor House project, the history book and the Community Celebration.

“We are grateful for the response of our corporate and non-profit communities to support the projects associated with Lehigh County’s Bicentennial,” Cunningham said. “And, once again, Coca-Cola Bottling Company of the Lehigh Valley has stepped up to the lead the way in our community.”

Sponsorships are still available for the Bicentennial as fundraising will continue throughout the first quarter of 2012. For more information, visit www.lehighcounty.org or call the Executive Office at 610-782-3001.

Lehigh County is located in southeastern Pennsylvania in the area known as the Lehigh Valley, with the city of Allentown as its county seat.

10/28/2011

Only two weeks left until our Inaugural Gala!
Please join us on Monday at 11:00 AM at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum. County Executive Don Cunningham will announce our Bicentennial Presenting Partner and give an update on the activities and events being planned for next year’s celebrations.

06/16/2011

Check out our website to learn about all of the exciting things that are planned for the Bicentennial Celebration!

Celebrate Lehigh County's Bicentennial

06/14/2011

Lehigh County Hall of Fame nominations are still being accepted, vote by June 30th! Visit : http://www.lehighcounty.org/Community/Bicentennial/HallofFame/tabid/1234/Default.aspx

The Official Website for the County of Lehigh, Pennsylvania

06/01/2011

Welcome! In recognition of Lehigh County's 200th Birthday, a Bicentennial Committee, in conjunction with the Lehigh County Government, is coordinating and supporting a community celebration, a Hall of Fame program, a history project and a community project. Please "like" us and stay connected to all the upcoming Bicentennial Highlights!