Who wants a free hoagie? And a free concert? And a street named after them?
Okay, well, only Patti LaBelle got that last one Tuesday in Philadelphia. But there were plenty of free stuff and fun times in the birthplace of freedom on Day 4 of Wawa Welcome America.
Thousands of people lined up outside of the National Constitution Center to grab their free Wawa hoagies.
Hoagie Day kicked off at 12 p.m. when 250 Wawa employees handed out 32,000 free hoagies and drinks.
Pictures: Wawa Welcome America Day 4 Kicks Off With Free Hoagies
Employees started building the 9-ton hoagie at 5 a.m. on Tuesday. The ingredients included 3,634 lbs of shorti rolls, 5,966 lbs of turkey, 1,586 lbs of Italians meats and more.
Then the Philadelphia fire and police departments fought each other in the Hoagies for Heroes competition. The teams had three minutes to assemble as many hoagies as possible.
The Philadelphia Fire Department won the battle with 36 hoagies compared to the police department’s 30 hoagies.
The Naval Supply Weapon System Support and the Air Force 111th Attack Wing also competed. The Air Force 111th Attack Wing won with 36 hoagies while the Navy had 27 hoagies.
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Wawa contributed $3,000 to each winning teams’ charity of choice.
For the first, ever day of service as part of Wawa Welcome America, dozens of volunteers fanned out through Hunting Park in North Philadelphia to clean up and give back to the local community. The afternoon kicked off with a greeting from Mayor Jim Kenney, and included painting and games for kids.
Early in the afternoon, kids had their chance to rock out as Live Nation held a Kid Nation event at the Fillmore Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon. Besides live performances and music, there was fun for all ages with face painting, karaoke, coloring, an obstacle course, food and even visits from Philly mascots Swoop and Gritty.
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Also in the afternoon, legendary soul singer and Philly native Patti LaBelle was honored as a stretch of Broad Street was renamed for her during a ceremony.
Rain put a damper on evening events. A screening of "Shrek" began at FDR Park but was canceled as storms hit the city.
The rain didn't put a stop to the Great American Party at the Kimmel Center Plaza however. The event included live performances from casts direct from Broadway and the U.S. Navy Cruisers, all under the Kimmel Center's signature glass ceiling. Fans of "Hamilton" were also able to belt out their favorite songs as part of the Hamilton's Hamiltunes Sing-a-long.
