Independence Day celebrations return

After over a year of holiday celebrations spent indoors, in-person celebrations will resume this year for the Fourth of July in Sea Cliff.

Last year’s holiday weekend events were cancelled due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the area and the social distancing guidelines issued nationally and statewide. As New York begins to reopen amidst the drop in active cases and increasing number of vaccinated adults, in-person celebrations are resuming across the state.

To kick-off the weekend, the band Larry Martone & Friends will perform at the first of the summer-long concert series “Sunset Serenade” in Clifton Park at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 1. If you miss this week’s show, don’t fret, the Sunset Serenade series will return every Thursday at the same time and location, with different artists through the end of the summer.

Continuing the festivities, on Friday, kids can show their patriotism by singing “Happy Birthday” to America to celebrate the nation’s 245th birthday. Those interested can head to the front lawn of the Sea Cliff Children’s Library at 6 p.m.

On Saturday, the Sea Cliff Civic Association will host the annual patriotic bike parade. Beginning at 10 a.m., interested participants can bring their festively decorated bike, scooter, stroller or wagon to the start line in Memorial Park at the intersection of Prospect and Sea Cliff Avenues. Those participating will then parade their festive vessels down Sea Cliff Ave to Clifton Park where their creations will be judged for a number of prizes including most patriotic and most creative.

To round out the weekend, residents can head to Clifton Park on Sunday at 10 a.m. for the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence, listen to patriotic music, and more. This year marks the celebration’s 25th year occurrence for the village.