No one loves the Wyomissing Fourth of July Parade more than Janice Fundyga who this year greeted hundreds of people from the front porch of her granddaughter Amanda Alger’s home on Cleveland Avenue, dressed as Uncle Sam.

 

Over the last four years, Janice has dressed as Betsy Ross, Lady Liberty, in 2021 as a doctor dressed as a healthcare worker, and as Uncle Sam in 2022. “I’m going to continue for who knows how long. People love seeing me in costume, and they ask if they or their kids can take a picture with me. I say absolutely!” Janice said, “People give me thumbs up as they walk by and throw kisses to me; there is a good reaction. I like to ham it up a little bit.”

 

Janice is out there for the entire parade. “The second year when I was the Statue of Liberty, I had a step stool to stand on, and we put a grey quilt around it to look like the base of the statue. I stood on that stool for two hours with my arm up, holding the torch. Every now and then I’d ask if anyone was looking, and I’d put my arm down for a break.

 

“July 4th means a lot to me. It means camaraderie, family, America, and America first. July 4th is a lot of fun, and I love to see people. I worked my whole life with people. I love life, I’m a people person, I’m patriotic, and I’m a product of America.”