There is anticipation in the Commonwealth when it comes to the days ahead.

Pennsylvanians are fired up about special upcoming events that will draw hundreds of thousands of dollars into the state and local economies and provide jobs to thousands of those hosting them.

Among those special events is the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh; Philadelphia hosting six soccer matches of the FIFA World Cup, and all that surrounds the nation’s semiquincentennial marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, culminating on July 4. Organized by the non-partisan America250 Commission, the celebration aims to engage all Americans, honor the nation’s history, and look toward its future. Gov. Josh Shapiro is a big fan of football, baseball, soccer and a history buff.

He told the Sun-Gazette that he is looking forward to all of those events, including the MLB All Star Game in Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

“I am so excited to celebrate the greatest country on the face of the earth,” Shapiro said.

“The 250-year mark, and we’ve worked hard that Pennsylvania would be the center of all of the attention,” he said.

The state has the NFL Draft shortly, and the other events – some of them such as the MLB All Star Game were set up before Shapiro became governor, as he acknowledged in the interview. Others, however, such as the NFL Draft were a labor of love. “I worked incredibly hard to secure it, as governor, working closely with Roger Goddell, Commissioner of the NFL, and Art Rooney II, the owner of the Steelers,” he said.

Shapiro made a pitch for why he thought Pittsburgh, which is such an iconic football town, would be perfect to host the NFL Draft.

“It’s going to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for our state’s economy and the local economy,” Shapiro said. “It’s going to put people to work. Our hotels will be filled. Our bars. Our restaurants. It is going to be an amazing time for Pittsburgh and for all of Pennsylvania, and a wonderful opportunity to remember why we do this, which is to celebrate America250.”

Shapiro said he announced in his budget address the “grid plan,” which is what he repeated he would want to see happen before the state would “fast-track” any permits for data centers.

He touched on three important bullet points about these data centers under his administration:

“One, they’ve got to bring their own power and pay for their own power;

“Two, they’ve got to make sure that the local community is involved in the decision making, and this can’t be done in secret;

“Third, you’ve got to have a local benefits’ agreement with the communities, so you are hiring local, you are spending money locally – you’ve got an investment plan back in the local community;

Fourth, and finally, protect the environment, our water, especially, so there’s got to be a plan to do that.”

“You’ve got to satisfy those things to earn my support on one of those projects,” Shapiro said.

“They’re doing great here,” Shapiro said when asked about the strategic plan the college has to connect with its neighborhoods and to revitalize the city’s downtown. Charles “Chip” Edmonds, college president, and his team have worked closely with leadership in Lycoming County and the city on revitalization projects, with more planned in the near future.

“I think you’ve got great leadership here in Williamsport,” Shapiro said adding that Mayor Derek Slaughter is a “friend and an ally,” along with Edmonds who, he said, is a “great example of a leader who understands he has got a responsibility – not just to the college – but to the broader community.”

Again, Shapiro acknowledged such major events as the Little League World Series, but also how when the city officials reach out for economic development needs, his administration answers that call.

“Everyone works really well together here,” he said. “I am in Williamsport a good bit, especially around the Little League World Series. It is always neat for me to see all of the business leaders come out, community leaders come out to those games and they all work really, really well together, and I think that is a tremendous thing not every community has and it is something I appreciate,” he said, with a continued thought.

“So, when they come to us with an economic development need, or they come to us with a local community need it is easier to line up and support that because I know they’ve got everybody working together and on the same page,” he said.

One of the things that makes him so successful and even with all of his achievements he is a regular guy, Lycoming County Commissioner Mark Mussina said.

“He is a husband and he is a father,” Mussina said, adding that he and Shapiro were at the same event two springs ago. “He and I both had a daughter who graduated in the class of 2024 from the University of Pittsburgh,” Mussina said.

“In that moment, when we were just proud parents you just realize we are so similar in so many ways,” he said, adding a light-hearted moment of reflection that when the commencement started Shapiro was “on stage giving a speech, and I was in the upper deck, and that is where the similarity ended,” he said.

Also in attendance for the Shapiro campaign stop Saturday, and acknowledged by the governor and his team was McKenna Long, chairperson of the county Democratic Committee.