What will Brentwood's Fourth of July Celebration look like this year?

Brentwood’s annual Fourth of July Celebration will happen this year – but the form it will take is still up in the air.

“We will not have a completely silent Fourth of July like we did last year,” said AJ Doyle, vice chairman of Brentwood’s Fourth of July Committee.

Doyle also serves as Brentwood council vice president. He said the decision to cancel last year’s celebration was tough, especially to make the call months before the actual event. He knows how important the century-old tradition is to the approximately 40,000 people the event attracts.

“I mean, fireworks are part of our borough seal,” he said. “The celebration has been running since 1919. And the borough has been in operation since 1916.”

The celebration includes a 1.5-mile-long parade – which is touted as the largest in Allegheny County – a “Firecracker 5K” and 45-minute fireworks display. The events typically span three days.

It is the second-largest Independence Day celebration in Western Pennsylvania. Canonsburg, in Washington County, holds the designation as the largest July 4 celebration in the region.

Brentwood’s event was canceled last year in April for the first time in 101 years. At the time, officials said uncertainties surrounding the covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions on large gatherings at the time contributed to the decision.

“I took zero pleasure in making the call to suspend any kind of formal activities on the Fourth of July,” Doyle said.

Doyle said the committee, which is separate from the borough, has met to begin discussions surrounding the event. He said nothing is final yet, but that an idea he suggested was to “bring the parade to you.”

He said under this plan, parade participants would go on streets throughout the borough, similar to how the borough’s volunteer fire department drove through neighborhoods in December with Santa Claus.

Another idea involves having a scaled back parade along the same route, Doyle said.

He said the fireworks display is still being discussed as a possibility, but nothing is set in stone. He also said the traditional flyover will happen.

Doyle said a large factor to consider this year is the group’s ability to fundraise for the event, which typically costs anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 to host. He said the committee was able to hold its annual Night at the Races event in February 2020, but the event was canceled this year because of ongoing concerns surrounding the pandemic.

Doyle added that having the traditional Fourth of July Celebration will come down to the willingness of groups to participate in the parade and what Gov. Tom Wolf and other state agencies mandate concerning large gatherings.