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44-606: The 16-day festival features multicultural and multigenerational events, including free concerts, fireworks displays, block parties, a parade, and educational activities. Philadelphia's main Independence Day celebration was started in 1993 by Welcome America, Inc., a non-profit organization. The first event highlighted the opening of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The series of events have relied heavily on corporate sponsorship, which enables

88-1473: A Gamble and Huff tribute. 2015 The Roots along with Jennifer Nettles , Miguel , MKTO and Zella Day . 2014 Pop stars Nicki Minaj , Ed Sheeran , Ariana Grande , Aloe Blacc , Jennifer Hudson , and The Voice finalist Vicci Martinez joined The Roots on stage. 2013 The Roots and special guests included John Mayer , Ne-Yo , Jill Scott , and host comedian Kevin Hart . 2012 The Roots and special guests Daryl Hall, Queen Latifah , Common , Lauryn Hill , and Joe Jonas. 2011 The Roots and special guests Earth Wind & Fire , Michael McDonald , Estelle , Sara Bareilles , DJ Jazzy Jeff , Aaron Neville and Gerald Veasley . 2010 The Roots and The Goo Goo Dolls 2009 Sheryl Crow and The Roots 2008 John Legend , an alumnus of Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania 2007 Hall & Oates 2006 Lionel Richie and Fantasia 2005 Elton John and Patti LaBelle 2004 The Isley Brothers 2003 Musiq and Peter Frampton 2002 Brian McKnight and The Baha Men 2001 Garth Brooks 2000 Earth, Wind & Fire 1999 Dionne Warwick 1998 Boyz II Men 1997 Ray Charles 1996 Patti LaBelle 1995 The Beach Boys 1994 Smokey Robinson , Peter Nero , and The Philly Pops 1993 The Pointer Sisters and The Philly Pops Sunoco Sunoco LP / s ə ˈ n oʊ k oʊ /

132-478: A joint venture with The Carlyle Group , allowing for the continuation of operations at the Philadelphia refinery, and temporarily saving over 800 jobs. However, on January 22, 2018, the joint venture, named Philadelphia Energy Solutions, filed for bankruptcy . The bankruptcy announcement was followed by a damaging fire on June 21, 2019, which occurred at the 30,000 bpcd alkylation unit . The explosion of

176-541: A 50 percent ownership joint venture with Energy Transfer on the J.C. Nolan diesel fuel pipeline that connects west Texas to the Gulf Coast. On January 18, 2019, Sunoco LP announced the execution of a definitive asset purchase agreement with Attis Industries, Inc. for the sale of Sunoco LP's ethanol plant, including the grain malting operation in Fulton, New York. In 2021, the company expanded its midstream footprint with

220-521: A convenience store and wholesale distributor operator, was purchased by Sunoco LP in October 2016, adding an additional 90 million gallons of fuel to its distribution business. Sunoco diversified its portfolio in August 2016 with the acquisition of Emerge Energy Services LP, entering into the business of processing transmix fuels. In April 2017, Sunoco introduced at all of its stations Sunoco UltraTech,

264-667: A cracked pipe. Sunoco claimed their systems did not detect the leak; the leak was reported by a hiker in the Wildlife Refuge. Afterwards, the company installed advanced leak detection systems while removing the defective joints on this and associated pipelines. In 1993, Sunoco became the first Fortune 500 company to endorse the CERES principles ( Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies ). The 10–point conduct code includes public reporting of environmental record. On April 4, 1991, Pennsylvania U.S. Senator H. John Heinz

308-560: A growing portfolio of oil fields and refineries, Sun opened its first service station in Ardmore, Pennsylvania , in 1920. In 1922, it changed its name back to Sun Oil Company and, in 1925, it became a public company via an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange . Sunoco ranked 39th among United States corporations in the value of World War II production contracts. Sun expanded internationally following

352-502: A high-detergent fuel blend that met Top Tier standards. Sunoco UltraTech contains the same detergent level as the fuel Sunoco makes for NASCAR . In January 2018, the company sold 1,030 retail stores to 7-Eleven and agreed to supply 2.2 billion gallons of fuel to 7–Eleven convenience stores annually for 15 years. This included Sunoco's contract to the service plazas along the Pennsylvania Turnpike . Sunoco LP announced

396-486: A single pump. Sunoco stations offered as many as eight grades of "Custom–Blended" fuels from its "Dial A Grade/Blend Selector" pumps ranging from subregular Sunoco 190 to Sunoco 260 and super-premium grade of 102 octane. The Sunoco 260 was advertised as "The Highest Octane Fuel You Can Buy!" and very popular with operators of V8 –powered muscle cars of the 1960s. In 1967, Sun established its Great Canadian Oil Sands Limited facility in northern Alberta, Canada to access

440-753: A stake in the new oil discoveries in Ohio and Pennsylvania . Four years later, the growing enterprise became the Sun Oil Company of Ohio. Sun Oil diversified quickly and became active in the production and distribution of oil as well as processing and marketing refined products. By 1901, the company was incorporated in New Jersey as Sun Company, Inc. In 1902, the Sun Oil Refining Company was chartered in Texas, as it turned its interest to

484-574: A studio musician. His 2008 release Your Move hit No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. Veasley has also worked as a smooth jazz DJ on WJJZ in Philadelphia. In 2002 Veasley founded his own Bass Bootcamp in Philadelphia with Roxanne Veasley and Lee Patterson. The camp has served over 700 bass players from all around world as well as other professionals like Marcus Miller , Stanley Clarke , Michael Manring , Victor Wooten , and many more. The camp lasts for 2 days and students are taught many important musical skills by

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528-658: A subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum , sold 193 convenience stores to Sunoco. It also acquired many service stations from Coastal Petroleum. In 2004, Sunoco replaced the ConocoPhillips ' 76 brand as the Official Fuel of NASCAR . After ConocoPhillips abandoned the marketing of the Mobil brand name in the Washington, D.C. area, Sunoco purchased these rights, converted Maryland and Virginia Mobil stations to

572-592: A wholesale motor fuel distribution business serving the northeast United States. In 2015, Aloha Petroleum, Ltd. acquired stores including a Subway in Hawaii. In June 2016, Sunoco LP purchased Valentine Convenience stores, consisting of 18 locations selling more than 20 million gallons of fuel, as well as Texas–based Kolkhorst Petroleum, Inc. Kolkhorst operated 14 convenience stores under the Rattler's brand and distributed more than 46 million gallons of fuel. Denny Oil,

616-594: Is an American jazz bass guitarist. Veasley was born and raised in West Philadelphia , where he played in R&;B groups as a teenager. He received a bass guitar for Christmas from his dad when he was 12 years old and his relatives drove him to music lessons. A strong student, Veasley was attending University of Pennsylvania with plans to go to get a Juris Doctor degree, but then his father died. After that, Veasley changed directions following his heart which

660-575: Is an American master limited partnership organized under Delaware state laws and headquartered in Dallas, Texas . Dating back to 1886, the company has transitioned from a vertically integrated energy company to a distributor of fuels and operator of midstream services. It was previously engaged in oil , natural gas exploration and production , refining , chemical manufacturing , and retail fuel sales, but divested these businesses. Its current operational focus dates back to 2018 when it divested

704-651: The Marcus Hook facility. The Marcus Hook facility, founded in 1902 and covering 781 acres, was dedicated exclusively to the processing of light sweet crude oil ; this processing focus combined with volatility in crude oil prices are considered contributing factors to both this refinery's closure and Sunoco's exit from the refinery business. In 2012, Sunoco demolished its Eagle Point refinery complex in West Deptford Township, New Jersey , which had been idle since 2010. In September 2012, Sunoco formed

748-736: The Permian Basin. The joint venture now operates more than 5,000 miles of crude oil and water gathering pipelines along with crude oil storage capacity of over 11 million barrels. Energy Transfer holds a 67.5% interest in the joint venture, with Sunoco LP holding the remaining 32.5% interest. In August 2024, the company acquired a liquid fuels terminal in Portland, Maine. As of 2024, Sunoco still operates 76 retail locations, all of which are located in New Jersey and Hawaii (branded as Aloha Petroleum, Ltd. ). Sunoco has exclusive deals as

792-1141: The Sunoco brand, bringing the A–Plus convenience store with them – prior to this, these stations had convenience stores under the Circle K or On the Run brands. In September 2009, Sunoco sold its retail heating oil and propane distribution business to Superior Plus for $ 82.5 million in cash. In Canada, the Sunoco brand was licensed for the Ontario retail fuel station operations of Suncor Energy until 2010. Following Suncor's acquisition of Petro-Canada , all Canadian Sunoco outlets were converted to Petro–Canada branding, except for one location in Port Colborne, Ontario . In December 2010, Sunoco sold its refinery in Toledo, Ohio , to PBF Energy, Inc. for $ 400 million. Effective September 6, 2011, Sunoco announced that it would exit

836-484: The acquisition of NuStar Energy LP for $ 7.3 billion. As reported by J.P. Morgan analysts, the acquisition “represented a transformative shift in strategy to a more diversified and vertically integrated business.” Assets added in the acquisition included a network of approximately 9,500 miles of pipeline and 63 terminals. In July 2024, Sunoco LP announced the formation of a joint venture with Energy Transfer to combine their crude oil and produced water-gathering assets in

880-611: The alkylation unit triggered a massive fireball and caused nearby homes to shake. A few days later, on June 26 the refinery complex announced it would cease operations and shut down. In 2014, Sunoco was one of 50 companies sued by Pennsylvania, which alleged that the companies polluted waters with MTBE , a fuel additive. In 2000, Sunoco leaked 190,000 gallons of oil into the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum in Pennsylvania through

924-593: The combined retail and marketing assets of Sunoco and Susser Holdings to Sunoco LP. In Texas, Sunoco replaced Valero at the Stripes locations; Stripes and A–Plus remained separate brands. Also in 2014, Sunoco LP acquired Aloha Petroleum, Ltd. , a retail and wholesale fuel business with six terminals in Hawaii . Additionally, Sunoco LP purchased eight Pico convenience stores in south central Texas. In December 2015, Sunoco LP completed its acquisition of Alta East, Inc.,

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968-682: The company completed the acquisition of 16 refined product terminals located across the East Coast and Midwest from Zenith Energy. In January 2024, Sunoco announced the sale of 204 convenience stores in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and West Texas to 7-Eleven for $ 1.0 billion. On March 13, 2024, Sunoco LP announced its acquisition of Zenith Energy Netherlands Amsterdam B.V., which included liquid fuels terminals in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Bantry Bay, Ireland. On May 3, 2024, Sunoco LP closed on

1012-748: The completion of the acquisition of the refined terminaling business from American Midstream Partners, LP on December 20, 2018. On April 2, 2018, Sunoco announced the completion of the conversion of its 207 retail sites located in central west Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico markets to a single commission agent, Cal's Convenience, Inc. That month also saw the acquisition of Superior Plus Energy Services, adding three terminals and approximately 200 million gallons to Sunoco LP's wholesale fuels business. Additional 2018 acquisitions included Sandford Energy, LLC. in August, BRENCO Marketing Corp. in October, and Schmitt Sales, Inc. in December. In 2019, Sunoco LP announced

1056-601: The concert was broadcast nationally on VH1 , in addition to local network broadcast by NBC10. 2023 Demi Lovato , Ludacris 2022 Ava Max , Jason Derulo , Tori Kelly 2021 Cam Anthony , Bebe Rexha , Flo Rida 2020 Camila Cabello virtually, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia . 2019 Jennifer Hudson , Meghan Trainor 2018 Pitbull 2017 Mary J. Blige , Boyz II Men , Mandy Gonzalez , Tony DeSare 2016 Leon Bridges along with Leslie Odom Jr. , Yazz The Greatest , The O'Jays , and

1100-752: The construction of a terminal in Brownsville, Texas along with the purchase of Cato Incorporated, with a terminal in Maryland, and NuStar Energy LP, with eight terminals in Illinois, Maryland, Florida, New Jersey, and Virginia. In 2022, Sunoco acquired Gladieux Capital Partners, LLC, a transmix plant in Indiana that included a wholesale fuel business, and Peerless Oil & Chemicals, a terminal and wholesale fuel business in Puerto Rico. In May 2023,

1144-449: The crude oil refining business and seek to sell its Philadelphia and Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania refineries by mid-2012. The company has said that its cost for exiting the refining business could be as high as $ 2.7 billion. According to one report, the company had lost some $ 800 million on refining operations since 2009; an earlier report provided a figure of $ 772 million. On December 1, 2011, Sunoco announced it would accelerate closure of

1188-593: The estimated 300 billion barrels (48 km ) of extractable oil in the Athabasca oil sands . In 1968, Sun Oil merged with Tulsa, Oklahoma –based Sunray DX Oil Company , which refined and marketed fuel under the DX brand in several midwestern states, and included several refineries. Its Tulsa refinery was operated by Sun until its sale in June 2009 to Holly Corporation of Dallas. This move expanded Sun's marketing area into

1232-558: The festival would be a virtual experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In 2021, the Wawa Welcome America festival officially extended its programming from 6-days to 16-days of celebrating, starting on Juneteenth and ending on the Fourth of July . There was a shooting of two policemen in 2022 between the end of the concert and the start of the fireworks. This caused widespread panic for thousands of attendees due to both

1276-604: The fuel supplier at the travel plazas along the Ohio Turnpike , Pennsylvania Turnpike , New Jersey Turnpike , Garden State Parkway , Atlantic City Expressway , Palisades Parkway , and Delaware Turnpike . Sunoco also operates some of the fuel filling stations on the New York Thruway , as well as the two service areas – Chesapeake House, and Maryland House – along Interstate 95 in Maryland . Gerald Veasley Gerald Veasley (born July 28, 1955)

1320-512: The group Weather Report . The band blended the styles from many different cultures of music and combined tones of strange grooves, driving, swinging and toured from places like the U.S to Germany and continued on until the unfortunate death of Joe. In June of 1999, Gerald was featured playing bass on an album with Earth, Wind & Fire 's Philip Bailey called Dreams . The album featured many artists such as George Duke , Marcus Miller , Pat Metheny , Gerald Albright , and many others. Veasley

1364-500: The instructors such as: learning how to groove, creating bass lines, improving your ear, optimizing practice time, and playing live with a drummer. In addition, they also teach under music theory topics like covering scales, arpeggios, modes, etc.,as well as an “All-Star Concert” which takes place at The Ardmore Music Hall featuring Gerald and various special guests. In 1988, Gerald joined a jazz fusion band called The Zawinul Syndicate featuring keyboardist Joe Zawinul , former member of

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1408-586: The largest independent fuel distributors in the United States. The partnership was known as Sun Company, Inc. from 1886 to 1920 and 1976 to 1998, and as Sun Oil Co. from 1920 to 1976. (The Sunoco name is a condensation of SUN Oil COmpany.) The partnership began as The Peoples Natural Gas Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . In 1886, its partners – Joseph Newton Pew , Philip Pisano, and Edward O. Emerson – decided to expand their fuel business with

1452-400: The market's highest octane unleaded fuel. Then in 1988, Sun undertook a restructuring to segregate its domestic oil and fuel exploration and production business and focus the company on its refining and marketing business. This led to the acquisition of Atlantic Refining and Marketing (and, in effect, that company's convenience store chain, A–Plus ), including its Philadelphia refinery which

1496-799: The mid–continent region. Sun Oil continued marketing its petroleum products under both the Sunoco and DX brands through the 1970s and into the 1980s. In the late 1980s, Sun began rebranding DX stations in the Midwest to the Sunoco brand, but by the early 1990s, they pulled out of virtually all areas in the southeastern U.S. and west of the Mississippi, resulting in the closing and rebranding of service stations and jobbers to other brands in those areas, notably Sinclair in Oklahoma and Kerr-McGee in Arkansas. With increased diversification, Sun Oil Company

1540-464: The new Spindletop field in Texas . Joseph Newton Pew's nephew, J. Edgar Pew, was able to buy the storage and transportation assets of Lone Star and Crescent Oil Company at a receivership auction . Spindletop oil was then shipped to the company's Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania , refinery. Pew's sons, J. Howard Pew and Joseph N. Pew, Jr. would take over the company after their father's death. With

1584-468: The non–core convenience store operations to 7-Eleven for $ 3.2 billion, which allowed for Sunoco LP to improve its financial position. The transaction also provided a long-term take or pay fuel supply agreement with 7-Eleven to generate consistent earnings and cash flows. Joseph Kim is the current Chief Executive Officer. As of 2024, the company distributes over 8 billion gallons of fuel across more than 40 U.S. states and territories, making it one of

1628-418: The organization to keep all of the events free to attend. In 1995, Sunoco became a title sponsor of the event, and it was referred to as Sunoco Welcome America! . The company continued as the main sponsor until 2010, when Wawa paid $ 3 million to be the sponsor for the following three years. Wawa has continued as the title sponsor through 2023. In May of 2020, Wawa Welcome America organizers announced that

1672-453: The other Sarnia, Ontario – in joint ventures. In 1998, Sun Company, Inc. became Sunoco, Inc. In 2011 the Toledo facility was sold to PBF Energy, Inc. In 1998, Sun acquired the chemical business of Allied Signal , including a phenol plant. The business was renamed as "Sunoco Chemicals, Inc." In 2011, the plant was acquired by Honeywell for $ 85 million. In 2003, Speedway LLC , then

1716-666: The rise in mass shootings in the United States and the Highland Park parade shooting happening earlier in the day. Every year a free outdoor concert is held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art . The concert is followed by fireworks. The free live performance has been a Philadelphia tradition for more than two decades. Past performers have included notable hometown acts and top-selling artists. In 2013,

1760-521: The war. Its first Canadian refinery was built in 1953 in Sarnia, Ontario , home to a burgeoning new petrochemical industry . Sun established a facility at Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo in 1957, which produced over a billion barrels (160,000,000 m ) before the operation was nationalized in 1975. In 1956, Sunoco introduced "Custom–Blended" fuel pumps, an innovation that allowed customers of Sunoco service stations to choose from several octane ratings through

1804-1122: Was killed when his airplane collided with a Sun Company helicopter in what is known as the Merion air disaster . Falling debris killed two children at the Merion Elementary School in the Lower Merion School District . The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident included poor judgment and errors on the behalf of both pilots. In 2012, Dallas –based energy company Energy Transfer Partners purchased Sunoco. Sunoco would subsequently move its corporate headquarters to Dallas in 2016. On August 29, 2014, Energy Transfer Partners acquired  Susser Holdings Corporation , owner of Stripes Convenience Stores and general partner of Susser Petroleum Partners LP (SUSP). On October 27, 2014, Susser Petroleum Partners LP changed its name to Sunoco LP and its ticker symbol from SUSP to SUN.  From 2014 to 2016, Energy Transfer Partners sold

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1848-650: Was later merged with the former Gulf Oil refinery next door that Sunoco acquired from Chevron . By the 1990s, Sun had departed the international exploration business and was fully dedicated to its branded products and services. In 1994, Sunoco acquired the Philadelphia Chevron Oil refinery consolidating operations with its own adjacent which it had acquired with Atlantic. Sun sold its remaining interest in Canada's Suncor Energy in 1995 but markets products from two refineries – one in Toledo, Ohio , and

1892-528: Was renamed Sun Company in 1976. In 1980, Sun acquired the U.S. oil and gas properties of Texas Pacific Oil Company, Inc. , a subsidiary of The Seagram Company Ltd , for U.S.$ 2.3 billion – the second largest acquisition in U.S. history to that date. Through the 1980s, Sun developed oil interests in the North Sea and offshore China and expanded its holdings in both oil and coal with additional U.S. business acquisitions. In 1983, Sun Oil launched Sunoco ULTRA 94,

1936-477: Was to pursue music. His uncle Ira Tucker , lead singer of the gospel quartet The Dixie Hummingbirds , took him under his wing providing him work at the beginning of his career. In the early 80's Grover Washington Jr. asked Veasley to work with him. He then connected with Joe Zawinul from 1988 to 1995, and began releasing his own records in 1992, with his debut album Look Ahead on which both Washington and Zawinul appear. He has also done extensive work as

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