Patriot Day

Presented by Embassy Bank

ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks

Join us at SteelStacks as we honor the countless individuals in the Lehigh Valley who put themselves in harm’s way every day.

This special event celebrates our nation’s first responders, law enforcement agencies, firefighters, military and emergency medical personnel. Highlighting the evening is the Our Hometown Heroes banner display, showcasing the amazing men and women who make a difference in our community day-in and day-out!

Our Hometown Heroes – First Responders

presented by Embassy Bank

Submissions open: July 1-31

Embassy Bank invites the community to submit photos of family members, neighbors and friends who have served or are currently serving their communities as first responders for “Our Hometown Heroes – First Responders,” a display during the Patriot Day Celebration at SteelStacks on Sept. 11. Photos of first responders including police and law enforcement officials, fire fighters and volunteer fire fighters, emergency medical personnel and paramedics are welcome. Photos submitted in previous years will also be displayed.

Submissions for Our Hometown Heroes – First Responders are being accepted from July 1-31. Photos can be uploaded using this form. Images must be a high resolution jpeg, tiff, bitmap, or PDF file; color and B&W are accepted.

Hardcopies will be accepted at all Embassy Bank locations or at the Banana Factory, 25 W. 3rd St. in Bethlehem. All hardcopies will be returned promptly at the location in which they were received.

Please note that if you submitted in previous years your photo will be included on this year’s banner although we are unable to change information on existing photos.

Images must be a high resolution jpeg, tiff, bitmap, or PDF file; color and B&W are accepted.

If you are interested in submitting photos of active military and veterans for our Hometown Heroes Memorial Day Celebration, submissions will open March 1, 2024.

Click a thumbnail below to open the slideshow.

Schedule of Events:

Presentation of ArtsQuest First Responder Valor Award
7:15 p.m. | Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks
Join ArtsQuest as it honors area first responders with a special ceremony that includes the presentation of the 2024 ArtsQuest Patriot Day Award to Ra’Von Burtons, Director of Bethlehem City EMS.

Officer Burton is a Lehigh Valley native, attending Catasauqua High School where he played football, basketball and participated in track. Officer Burton is a Moravian University graduate. He first gained interest in becoming an officer as a child when Allentown Police helped rescue him from a flooding after Jordan Creek in Allentown had overflowed. He has always had a strong sense of community and feels that it is one of the most important aspects of keeping neighborhoods safe. In 2019, Burton went viral after a video of him playing backyard baseball with Lehigh University students was uploaded online. Since then, he has been a large part of Bethlehem Police Departments community outreach programs which include visiting various schools in the area to educate as well as leading egg drop experiments with the students. In 2021, Burton joined the k-9 unit where he became partners with Bean, a German Shorthaired Pointer, where they specialize in explosive detection, tracking lost individuals and community engagement. After being a part of Bethlehem Police for six years this upcoming September, Officer Burton has plans to continue growing the relationship between police and the community with the hopes of one day becoming Chief of Police.

Free Concert
7:30 p.m. | The Aardvarks
Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network

Sponsored by: