Happy 4th!

4th of July in Centre County is a big deal. The day is full of events, that are all organized and run by volunteers from the community. I've been covering preparation for the big day for about three weeks, and each time I learned about more and more of the things that go on.

The day kicks off with the 4th Fest 4k race, which had over a 1,000 participants this year. All the registration money goes towards the fireworks show.

These firefighters ran the race in all of their gear, that weighs about 25 pounds, to promote firefighter fitness. The fireman on the right, who started the non-profit, had ran a triathlon the day before.

Starting in the afternoon there is a carnival, with rides and games. Over to the side of the carnival there are educational tents including one with pyrotechnic demonstrations, and another with animals from Shaver's Creek. There is also a free crafts tent.

Eleven year old Brayden was enjoying the afternoon with his patriotic mohawk as he made a red, white and blue star bracelet.

Team Fastrax skydiving flew through the air with three 100 foot red, white and blue streamers...

...and one 7800 sq foot flag. There was a little bit of a wind that twisted the flag but the crowd still cheered as he landed.

Then when it finally got dark the fireworks show! I hadn't photographed fireworks before, so this was a new experience. I wasn't as pleased with the photos as I was hoping, but next year will be better.

The Joe Paterno statue enjoys the show .

Happy 4th of July!