By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
The Fourth of July is one of the most festive and lively days of the year in Cazenovia.
Central to the village’s Independence Day celebration is its annual parade.
This year, lineup will begin at 12:30 p.m. along Green Street and Emory Avenue. The parade will step off at 1 p.m. and loop back around to Green Street.
Project CAFÉ and the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce will organize the event.
Project CAFÉ is a student-directed non-profit organization that promotes drug- and alcohol-free activities, music, art, community service and scholarship in the Cazenovia area.
According to Project CAFÉ advisor and Mayor Kurt Wheeler, the organization has been coordinating the Fourth of July parade since 1997.
For many years, Wheeler said, a special committee was responsible for organizing the parade and other community events. When the committee disbanded following the 1992 parade, an ad hoc group took on the responsibility for one year. For the next few years — until Project CAFÉ took over — the village had no parade at all.
Several years ago, the chamber partnered with Project CAFÉ to help revive the parade for the community.
Project CAFÉ’s student members are responsible for communicating with potential participants, coordinating with the chamber and organizing the parade lineup. Each year, an experienced student leader trains an “understudy.”
This year, the experienced and novice coordinators are Meg Seeley and Molly Brown, respectively.
Project CAFÉ student members also have leadership roles in coordinating WinterFest, Earth Day and the 9/11 observance.
“I am very proud of the [unique] leadership roles that our students play in the community,” Wheeler said.
Preparation for the event, according to Wheeler, usually begins in May.
“We maintain an email list of past participants to contact, put one or two notices in the [paper], and talk to groups face to face to encourage participation,” he said. “The chamber also reaches out to its members.”
Additionally, the groups encourage the Memorial Day parade participants to join in the procession.
To march in the 2019 Fourth of July parade, call 315-655-9243 or email [email protected] or [email protected].
All applicants will be asked to fill out a brief questionnaire to ensure that their group is announced as they pass Memorial Park.
“Shopping Cart Drill Team” to parade and collect donated food items
During the parade, Tom Davies and his “Shopping Cart Drill Team” will accept food items such as pasta, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, for donation to CazCares food pantry.
The group — which includes members and friends of the Cazenovia and Nelson United Methodist Churches — will perform four to five choreographed routines while parading through the village and accepting donations.
Davies, a part-time pastor at the Munnsville Congregational Church, organized his first march in 2001.
He originally purchased 30 metal shopping carts for the group. Hoping to replace the carts with lighter versions, he contacted Kinney Drugs in Cazenovia. A week later, he was provided 25 carts for free.
The group has since marched in parades in Skaneateles, Erieville, New Woodstock, DeRuyter, Munnsville and Syracuse.
“I’m proud to say that since our appearance in the [Syracuse St. Patrick’s Parade], the tradition of collecting has continued on,” Davies said.
According to Davies, all of the donated food stays in the community in which it is collected.
To join the drill team in the parade, email [email protected].
“I’ve had people tell me that they’re too embarrassed to do something like this, but once they do it, they’re hooked,” Davies said.
Practice will be held at 7 p.m. on July 3 in the Burton Street parking lot.
Other Fourth of July events and activities
The 47th Annual Cazenovia July 4th Foot Races will be held in the village prior to the parade.
The 5K race will begin at 8 a.m. on Emory Street and finish in Lakeland Park. The 1-mile fun run will begin at 8:10 a.m. near the high school and end at the same location. The 10-mile race will start at 8:45 a.m. with a loop through the village, followed by a loop around the lake. The course finishes at Lakeland Park.
For more information and to register, visit localraces.com.
Following the parade, community members and visitors are invited to gather in Lakeland Park for music, food and fireworks.
The Community Band will perform at 5 p.m. and will be followed by the DeSantis Orchestra at 7 p.m.
Cazenovia Masonic Lodge will serve a pulled pork barbeque, hot dogs, ice cream and fried dough in the food tent.
The evening will conclude with the Cazenovia Lions Club Annual Fireworks over the south end of the lake fireworks at 9 p.m.
The 50th annual Fourth of July Sidewalk Sales will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., July 5 to 7 in the village business district. In addition to shopping, the events will feature sidewalk chalk and street magicians.
Children are invited to participate in the annual Teddy Bear Parade at 10 a.m. on July 6. The event is co-sponsored by the Cazenovia Public Library and Cazenovia Children’s House, Inc. Children of all ages, their teddy bears, and their families will gather in Memorial Park for a simple craft and music before marching down to the library. The parade will start off with a concert from 10 a.m. to noon in front of Community Bank. The concert is presented as part of Cazenovia Counterpoint Festival of the Expressive Arts.
Lorenzo State Historic Site will host the 44th Annual CAVAC Arts & Crafts Show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 6 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 7.
