Heat takes a toll as Philly events for nation's 250th ramp up; mayors march in Old City; Queen Latifah concert canceled

The official high reached 103 Thursday in Philly, tying a record perhaps fittingly set in 1901 when the nation was marking its 125th birthday, halfway to the Semiquincentennial.

The bar is a shade higher Friday when the record is 104, and Saturday’s would be 103, both set during a sizzling heat wave in 1966.

Relief-bearing showers are unlikely Friday, said Patrick O’Hara, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly, N.J.

More than two dozen Philadelphia artists filled 11 historic spaces across Old City Thursday afternoon with music, poetry, and powerful vibes as part of WXPN Welcomes the Red, White & Blue To-Do Music Series.

The audience seats, however, were not all filled as crowds remained light and foot traffic across the historic district was much sparser than an average Thursday.

Legendary Philly poet and recording artist Ursula Rucker performed with Miles Orion on guitar at the Arch Street Meetinghouse for a crowd of about a dozen people. She gave moving renditions of her poems — like “Philadelphia Child” and “Fear or Freedom” — and ended her set on “L.O.V.E.”

During his speech Thursday afternoon at Independence Hall, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries underscored the country’s history of slavery that coexisted during the nation’s founding. He also emphasized that Americans have no king and should never obey one. He said it was important to speak to those themes to remind people of the founders’ ideals.

“The Declaration of Independence was pretty clear as a defiant document in breaking away from King George III and establishing a country where there would be representative democracy based on the consent of the government, where there are no subjects, only citizens,” he said.

The city of Philadelphia and President Donald Trump’s administration have been embroiled in a battle over language that references George Washington, who enslaved people as the country gained its independence.

CBS will highlight performances in Philadelphia by Jill Scott and The Roots during a three-hour "primetime" televised special July 4th, the network announced Thursday.

CBS will broadcast from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday The Great American Block Party 250 from 8 to 11 p.m. hosted from the nation's capital by CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil and Entertainment Tonight co-host Nischelle Turner, the network said.

Members of the U.S. Congress lined up Thursday to enter Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the site where, 250 years ago, the Second Continental Congress gathered to declare independence from Great Britain. Rep. Glenn Thompson (R., Pa.) opened the ceremonial event, saying “the origins of our republic trace back to Pennsylvania."

In speeches, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries reminded attendees of the history of the founders’ goals that America has no king, and that what would become the legislative branch is separate from the executive and acts as a check on power.

Members of both parties attended, wearing suits and waving fans — a sign of the 100-degree heat outside the Hall in Philadelphia.

For the 63rd time in records dating to 1874, the temperature reached 100 degrees on Thursday afternoon, officially in Philadelphia, and the heat index jumped to 109 at 1 p.m.

The forecast high, 103, would match a record for a July 2, set back in 1901 when the nation was marking its 125th birthday,

While summers have become warmer in Philadelphia, 100-degree readings have been relatively scarce this century.

More than 100 mayors, some with families in tow, gathered in a small auditorium in the Museum of the American Revolution and learned about the historical significance of this day 250 years ago.

On July 2, 1776, 12 of the 13 colonies voted in favor of independence from Great Britain, explained Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and executive director. Only New York cast a no vote until a few days later, when it got on board as well.

"We talk about the Declaration, we talk about the Constitution, it was on that day, July 2nd ... that we broke," Cochran said.

Performers from neighborhoods across Philadelphia and nations around the world weren’t slowed down by oppressive temperatures Thursday as they marched, stepped, and danced their way down Independence Mall in the Red, White & Blue To-Do Pomp & Parade.

The extreme heat did seem to have an effect on attendance, though. Crowds were relatively light along the parade route this year, particularly in areas without shade, of which there are many along the mall.

The parade featured cultural groups like Gente de Venezuela Philly, whose members waved Venezuelan and American flags; Banda Escolar de Guayanilla, a marching band from Puerto Rico; the Indiana County Fife & Drum Corps, who brought the history in tricorn hats, and the West Powelton Steppers & Drum Squad, who brought the beat in the heat.

Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, will be spending her July Fourth marching in the Susquehanna County parade Saturday, a spokesperson told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

It's one of many events planned throughout the commonwealth to celebrate America's 250th anniversary of its founding.

Her Democratic opponent, Gov. Josh Shapiro, meanwhile, will appear from sunup to sundown at events throughout the city — as well as frequent television hits.

In the sweltering shadeless heat of Independence Mall, more than 100 mayors from small towns and big cities across the country disembarked from coach buses donning large white sashes reading “mayor” and styling various patriotic yet professional sundresses and suits.

After a quick photo opp, the crowd of local leaders made its way down Market Street and turned at Sixth Street at the President’s House.

“Hit the music!” someone from the group joked.

The National Weather Service sees a 50-50 chance of thunderstorms Saturday night, and some of them may become quite strong.

On Thursday, the federal Severe Storm Prediction Center, in Norman, Okla., increased the probability of severe storms — those with wind gusts up to 60 mph — to 15%.

Forecasters warned that predicting the timing, location, and ferocity of storms would be impossible two days out.

Avenging The Ancestors Coalition, the advocacy group that pushed to create and maintain the President’s House exhibit memorializing the nine people enslaved by George Washington in his Philadelphia home, will host a Black Independence Day gathering on Independence Mall on July 4.

The event on the nation’s 250th birthday comes as the walls of President’s House remain mostly bare following President Donald Trump’s abrupt removal of the exhibit’s interpretive panels in January. A Philadelphia-based federal appeals court gave the National Park Service a green light to install its own proposed panels. But the future of the site remains in limbo because of litigation out of Boston.

The event is slated to include reflections on freedom and independence, and an update on the legal battle surrounding the slavery memorial, and a call to action.

Kicking off Red, White & Blue To-Do at 7 a.m. Thursday, 250 people gathered at Liberty Mall to make a "living Liberty Bell."

Participants wore red, white, and blue (naturally) and included Tess Ferm, Miss America’s Teen from South Carolina, and former city representative Sheila Hess.

The human formation even captured the bell's signature crack through an outline of participants wearing blue.

Locals and tourists alike are set to brave 100-degree-plus temperatures to attend the Red, White & Blue To-Do — Philadelphia's third-annual celebration of the day the Second Continental Congress voted here on July 2, 1776, to adopt a resolution of independence from Great Britain — all day Thursday.

Founding Father John Adams believed July 2 would be celebrated for generations to come with "Pomp and Parade," but July 4, when Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, got all of the glory and became the day we mark the founding of our country.

Adams' prognostication in a letter to his wife, Abigail, didn't come to fruition until 2024, when the Philadelphia Historic District Partners — a coalition of more than 30 institutions, museums, and attractions — heeded his call and created a packed day of festivities across Old City in advance of this year's Semiquincentennial.

Members of Congress will gather Thursday at Independence Hall for a ceremonial event to mark the 250th anniversary of the day the Second Continental Congress voted for independence.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Philadelphia Democrat whose district includes the historic site, had worked for years to set up a joint session of Congress — an extremely rare occurrence outside Washington, D.C., since 1800 — on the anniversary.

Thursday’s event will not be a formal joint session. But members of both parties will come together in Congress Hall, the room where the legislative branch convened before relocating to Washington.

In the grand casino of the atmosphere, scheduling outdoor events on July Fourth in the Philly region is almost always going to be a rolling of the bones.

And on the day Philadelphia and the rest of the national are holding a mass 250th birthday party, the odds may be dicier than usual, with thunderstorms and accompanying lightning possible Saturday afternoon and night, forecasters say.

July happens to be the peak month for lightning-bearing thunderstorms in Philadelphia, occurring every five days on average, and who doesn’t want to be outside on the Fourth?

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Wednesday defended the city’s upcoming July Fourth concert, a seven-hour outdoor spectacle featuring performances from Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott and The Roots, amid concerns over the nearly 100-degree forecast and revelations that the event will cost taxpayers millions more than in years past.

The city has dealt with high temperatures before and has battle-tested personnel and protocols prepared for the evening, Parker told reporters at a news conference in front of the stage at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps.

She also addressed the detractors head on.