VILLAGE OF MANLIUS – On June 8, the Village of Manlius Board of Trustees discussed the community’s Independence Day celebration, which will be held this year on Saturday, July 3.
During the board meeting, Mayor Paul Whorrall informed the trustees about his recent correspondence with Sydney Park, the newly crowned Miss New York, regarding her desire to attend the Village of Manlius’s Independence Day celebration.
Park will wear the Miss New York banner and represent the Empire State at the 100th anniversary Miss America competition in December of 2021 at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun.
According to Whorrall, Park expressed in her message that July Fourth is her favorite holiday, and that she would like to attend the parade, meet the mayor, and visit “the great Village of Manlius.”
Whorrall said he wrote her back to congratulate her on her recent crowning and state that the village would be honored for her to visit and be part of the festivities.
“If this goes through, not only would she be coming but also Miss Teen New York would be coming,” Whorrall said. “. . . That would be pretty exciting to have [them] here.”
The mayor added that he does not think she has any ties to Manlius and that she went to Columbia University and graduated with a juris doctor from Fordham.
Last year, the village’s Independence Day event was canceled due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions.
“The Fourth of July celebration has been a Manlius tradition for many, many years,” said Judy Salamone, who has coordinated the event for the past five years. “It’s Americana at its best. People really missed this event last year. We are back, and we are really looking forward to it again this year.”
The parade will step off at 5 p.m. from Route 173 near Seneca Street Brew Pub, turn right onto Fayette Street (near Burger King), and conclude either at Arkie Albanese Avenue or Stickley Drive. The end point remains to be determined.
The timing of the parade has been changed this year to give people a chance to enjoy the parade and other festivities without a large time gap in between.
“In the past when the fourth fell on a Sunday, we always had the event on Saturday,” said Salamone. “The parade was in the morning and we did not want it to conflict with church services . . . The event followed and went all day/night with food, bands and fireworks. We found that in the afternoon, very few people would attend, despite having some really good bands and entertainment. After the parade, people would go off and do their own thing for the day and come back at 5-6 p.m. to get dinner, find a spot on the hill to watch a band and the fireworks. So this year, we decided to have the parade later, followed by food, entertainment and the fireworks. We will see how it goes.”
Groups or organizations interested in participating in the parade should email Salamone at [email protected] by June 18.
The July 3 schedule also features food trucks and a chicken BBQ from 4 p.m. to dusk, the Downbeat Percussion Band and Twin Magicians at 6 p.m., Letizia and the Z Band at 7 p.m., and fireworks at dusk (approximately 9:30 p.m.).
The food trucks will be parked at the Village Centre near the library and senior center.
The offerings will include Cue-Dogs (hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, sausage sandwiches), Toss N Fire Pizza, BBQ Isle (chicken BBQ), Ma &Pa’s Kettle Corn, Spud Shack (French fries and potatoes), lemonade, and Seneca Street Brew Pub beer, which will be sold under the Lions Club beer tent.
The bands will perform at the Amphitheater and Twin Magicians will be under the tent.
The fireworks will shoot off near Stickley Drive.
Manlius village board meetings are usually held the second Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Manlius Village Centre, 1 Arkie Albanese Ave, Manlius.