Latrobe 4th of July activities to return to park; Murrysville consultant on board as director

The Latrobe 4th of July Celebration is moving back to Legion Keener Park with a new two-day schedule of activities.

Steph Mihleder, a Murrysville consultant who has worked with businesses and nonprofits, is on board as the new director of the celebration.

Mihleder was chosen in mid-January by a group of Latrobe community leaders. She said most 4th of July activities will be held in the park on Thursday and Friday, July 4 and 5, by popular demand.

In recent years many of the festivities had shifted to the town’s Memorial Stadium, and the celebration’s parade was canceled two years in a row following the arrival of the covid-19 pandemic.

“We want to listen to the people and move it back to the park,” Mihleder said of the celebration. “That is my priority.”

Latrobe police Chief Richard Bosco was among the community leaders involved in choosing Mihleder to oversee and bring consistency in leadership to the event.

“The Latrobe community and the 4th of July Celebration is extremely important to me,” Bosco said. “I wanted to help ensure the event will not only be here as long as possible, but that it also improves each year.”

Celebration plans

Musical acts are being scheduled both days at the park’s band shell, Mihleder said.

The slate of performers isn’t set.

“The goal is to have really quality entertainment across the board,” Mihleder said.

There also will be food trucks and a vendor market both days, according to Mihleder.

On July 4, visitors will be able to view the traditional parade through downtown Latrobe and a fireworks display that evening in the park. “History in the Making” is the parade’s theme.

Activities on July 5 will include a car cruise and a one-mile Color Fun Run.

In the past, many of the celebration’s activities were spread over several days.

“We found the events were so staggered it was making it harder for people to enjoy all the components,” Mihleder said.

She said the nonprofit that runs the celebration is in the process of forming a board. Various committees also are needed, and Mihleder is reaching out to volunteers who were involved in previous years.

Related activities will continue to be held in advance of the two-day celebration, including a Miss Fourth pageant, a race and a patriotic service.

To ensure the celebration can remain a free event, Mihleder is contemplating holding fundraisers throughout the year.

Celebration organizers also are developing a new event website, logo and T-shirts, with details expected to be announced in March.

“We are starting with no money, so we are asking the community to pitch in where they can,” Mihleder said. “Normally it takes about $45,000 to run this event, which includes payment to contractors such as myself.”

The amount of compensation Mihleder will receive for her services wasn’t available from Latrobe officials.

In addition to her consulting work for clients including nonprofits, Mihleder brings to the Latrobe event past experience as a project manager for BNY Mellon in Pittsburgh and as executive director of the Greensburg-based nonprofit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region.

She hadn’t heard of the Latrobe festival before agreeing to direct it but now wants to spread the word to others.

“I have two daughters, and I actually never knew that this wonderful free celebration was ‘a thing,’” she said. “My first thought was that I would have loved to bring my family to the Latrobe celebration, and I’d love to let other families know that it exists.”