The annual Intercourse Heritage Days are back with a patriotic twist for America's 250th anniversary.

This year's beloved local two-day event will commence with a "Red, White and Blue" parade hosted by the Intercourse Library, in accordance with the country's milestone birthday.

The event will kick off on Friday, June 19, with the aforementioned parade at 5:30 p.m. and will also continue on Saturday, June 20. The library invites locals to participate in the parade wearing one of America's signature colors, either on wheels or by walking; those interested must register by Saturday, June 13, at the library or on its website.

"We just really want people to come," said library director Catherine O'Sullivan. "Bring your scooters, bring your bikes, bring your wagons. It's maybe not a traditional parade, but anything on wheels or by yourself in costume."

All of the events will take place at Intercourse Community Park, 3730 Old Philadelphia Pike, Gordonville.

The rest of Friday's slate is highlighted by a food showcase consisting of local eateries from 5 to 9 p.m., as well as a performance from the Ironwood Drive Band from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Activities for kids will also run from 5 to 9 p.m., featuring a pedal tractor pull at 6 p.m.

Saturday's festivities will commence at 6:30 a.m. with a pancake and sausage breakfast that will run until 9:30 a.m., sponsored by the Intercourse Fire Company, which will also do firetruck demonstrations in the afternoon, preceded by a candy drop at noon. Friday's food showcase will continue Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., featuring 25 tables of local vendors.

Another highlight of the annual event is the various athletic tournaments, most notably the volleyball tournament. The tournament usually consists of around 70 teams of six people each, and Saturday's finals always draw a large crowd. The bracket will start at 5 p.m., along with the pickleball tournament, which is rapidly growing in popularity.

Visit http://www.lancastertournaments.com/upcoming-events to register for the volleyball tournament and email lhaley@hcometz.com for details on the pickleball bracket.

Also returning for this year is The Factory Ministries' cornhole tournament, which will commence at 10 a.m. on Saturday and will provide cash prizes to the top three teams. Register online for the tournament at https://mailchi.mp/thefactoryministries/cornholetournament with a team of two people by June 19 at 5 p.m.

Also on Saturday, there will be gingerbread cookie decorating at 11 a.m. and a variety show with Forgotten Friends Reptile Show and Ryan and Friends at 12:30 and 1:30 p.m., respectively. There will also be petal carts drag racing at 3 p.m. and concerts by Tru Vintage Bluegrass and the Churchmen at 3 and 6:30 p.m., respectively.

The fireworks show, which returned at last year's event, is back for 2026. The show will conclude the packed two days of events.

"We had one year where we didn't do fireworks and instead did a laser show," said Heritage Days committee member Michael Sensenig. "That did not work at all ... fireworks is still one of my favorite things. There's just something about it."

Sensenig estimated that Heritage Days pulls in around 5,000 people annually.

"Just seeing all your friends and the people that you know but don't have the chance to sit and chat with when it gets too busy," O'Sullivan said of the event's appeal. "This is the beginning of summer. Everybody's done with school. You have the chance to mingle and chat."