By Khalida Sarwari
Saratoga’s Kevin Moran Park will be awash in red, white and blue for the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration. This year’s festivities include a parade, popsicles and the McCartysville Volunteer Band.
The Saratoga-style Independence Day will kick off at 9:30 a.m. on July 4 at 12415 Scully Ave. in Saratoga with a speech by Mayor Jill Hunter. Council members Chuck Page and Howard Miller will serve as emcees for the remainder of the program, which will conclude with a parade around the park at 11 a.m.
The procession will feature people–as well as bikes, dogs and wagons–all decked out in red, white and blue and waving flags. Attendees will be invited to participate while the band performs. At the end of the procession, popsicles will be handed out to children. Free flags will also be given out.
The McCartysville Volunteer Band will play a medley of patriotic songs beginning at 9:30 a.m., during which it will also honor members of the military. The band, which was named in honor of Martin McCarty, a 19th century Irishman and an early settler in Saratoga, includes 35 to 60 brass/woodwinds and percussionists that perform once a year for the Fourth of July program.
Audience participation is encouraged during the medleys and will be led by a volunteer children’s choir made up of participants from the audience.
Other components of the program include participation from members of the Sons of the American Revolution, who will ring a bell representing the Liberty Bell in a formal presentation in which they are dressed in colorful costumes and portray famous such American figures as Patrick Henry and George Washington, among others.
The centerpiece of the event, according to Saratoga Historical Foundation president Annette Stransky, is a “Voices of Freedom” tableau created by Saratoga Federated Church minister Bill Allison. Combining 25 costumed characters, quotes about freedom and music, Voices of Freedom is a brief presentation about the U.S. from its birth to the present.
“The original presentation begins with the father of the U.S., George Washington, and progresses to raising of the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima to the flag that became the symbol of courage in the aftermath of the World Trade Center in 2011,” Stranksy said. “The audience is reminded that America is made up of ordinary people who stepped up and did extraordinary things in the name of freedom.”
Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in red, white and blue in celebration of the day. Those who have served or are serving in the military are encouraged to wear their uniforms.
The event is free. Sponsors include the city of Saratoga, the Saratoga Historical Foundation and Saratoga Federated Church.
For more information, visit saratogaJuly4.com or call event organizer Sarah Okunos at 408.867.4577.
FOURTH OF JULY DECORATIONS
Anyone strolling through the Village this week will notice various businesses decked out in red, white and blue decorations.
The Fourth of July-themed decorations are part of the “America the Beautiful” project started in 2011 by Patricia Himel and Laurel Perusa and include patriotic quotations, flags of various designs and bunting.
“We realize many of the businesses/shop owners are very busy,” said Perusa. “If they are not able to decorate, we step in to decorate for them.”
The decorations will be on display until mid-July. Some of the participating businesses are Big Basin Cafe, Timeline Design, the Barn Owl, Little Amsterdam Restaurant, Hong’s Chinese Gourmet, the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, Skin Prophecy Boutique and the Saratoga Historical Museum.
