Coca-Cola to sponsor County Bicentennial; events kick-off with Gala next Friday
Nov
2
Written by:
11/2/2011 2:07 PM
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 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 Jill Slivka in the Executive Office at 610-782-3005.
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