“Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the 52nd annual Fourth of July celebration in Highland Falls has been canceled.”
Those were the words of Mayor Joe D’Onofrio, who also chairs the committee which plans the annual celebration of America’s independence, on June 12 as he announced that traditional plans for the community’s Fourth of July celebration have been canceled.
“The decision must be made according to one of our guiding principles, the health and safety of the residents and others who attend our parade,” the mayor said. “This has always been our top priority.”
He said that he and the other committee members were sad to make the decision, calling it “erring on the side of caution”.
“The Fourth of July celebration here is our ‘signature event’,” D’Onofrio said. “It does not make me happy to cancel.”
But, while the typical parade, Roe Park festivities, fireworks are canceled — the Firecracker 5K had already been canceled by its organizers — D’Onofrio says there will still be something to look forward to.
He’s planning a July 4 ‘drive-by parade’ which will feature some emergency vehicles, some floats, music and more, and which will travel to as many streets or common locations as possible in Highland Falls and Fort Montgomery. Any float-makers who wish to join the parade should contact the mayor at 446-3400.
There will also be a concert in Memorial Park, at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 3 featuring Danny and the Cruisers. Those who attend the concert will need to wear masks and stay six feet apart. At that event the mayor hopes to also honor several community residents.
Additionally, he is hosting a poster contest with the theme of ‘What July 4th Means to Me’, for children up to age 10. Posters should be delivered to Village Hall by Wednesday, July 1. Three winners will receive new bicycles, the mayor said, and the posters will be displayed in the front windows of Village Hall.
D’Onofrio said that as “normalcy returns in the coming months” planning for next year’s “better than ever” July 4th celebration will begin.
