Merrick Historical Society celebrates Fourth of July

With temperatures reaching into the 90s, local residents circled around the gazebo in Veterans Memorial Plaza in downtown Merrick on the Fourth of July to read the Declaration of Independence in its entirety.

Most took turns reading from the Declaration, which was, in fact, signed on July 2, 1776, and read to the colonists on July 4. The document marked a landmark in world history –– America’s declaration of independence from Great Britain, the 18th century’s most powerful colonial power.

Lawrence Garfinkel, president of the Merrick Historical Society, led the event, a reenactment of the original reading to colonists. The Merrick Flower Shoppe decorated the gazebo in red, white and blue ribbons for the occasion, and BJs provided water. Also in attendance were dignitaries such as Judge Jerry Medowar of Merrick, a longtime member of the historical society, and fellow Merokean Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg, who has been a regular at readings in past years.

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