Thursday, October 1, 2026
Each month, organizations including the Freeport Memorial Library, the Chamber of Commerce, and Sparkle on Stage Cultural Arts Center meet to coordinate events for Freeport’s upcoming 250th U.S. anniversary celebration the week of July 4, 2026, and throughout the year.
The latest planning meeting on Wednesday.
“What we’re doing now is a lot of planning and making sure that dates don’t conflict,” librarian and archivist Regina Feeney said. “We’re discussing what each organization has planned, whether it is booked and whether it needs a permit. So far, the only event that definitely needs a permit is the fireworks hosted by the Chamber of Commerce.”
The celebration will feature lectures, concerts and historical demonstrations, including re-enactments and colonial-era cooking.
“I know it seems like we have lots of time, but for the Bicentennial in 1976, we had two years to plan,” Feeney added. “The war went on for seven years, and we’re only celebrating one part of it. Even so, there is a lot to do.”
Feeney also noted that the week of July 4 will be crowded with national events. “It is the week of the World Cup finals that will be in New Jersey, and the tall ships will be arriving,” she said. “You’ll have watch parties and other activities. So getting your particular event on the calendar is important.”
While no single organization is leading the overall effort, a shared calendar can be found at freeportnyhistory.org.
The first event is scheduled for Nov. 24, at 2:30 p.m., at the library, where a plaque will be unveiled honoring one of two known Revolutionary War patriots from Freeport.
“There were two patriots,” Feeney says. “The other plaque will be at Village Hall, and unveiled at a later time.”
Sparkle on Stage, on Woodcleft Avenue, is also planning a performance that revisits the village’s Revolutionary War history.
“It was presented by the Freeport Historical Society in 1976, and is called ‘Colonies Versus the Crown: An Historical Presentation of the Disputes Leading to the Revolution,’” director and producer Robyn Workman, president of Sparkle on Stage, said. “It will be an all-adult performance. I don’t know yet if we’ll have a children’s production. We expect to start auditions in January. There is a possibility we may bring back our production of the original work ‘Almost Hamilton.’”
“Almost Hamilton,” which was written by Frank Morris and directed by Workman, tells the story of the U.S. Constitution and the birth of American democracy through song, dance and parody.
It was first performed this past spring at Sparkle on Stage. It will likely be one of two plays to be performed for the 250th anniversary, with the other yet to be announced. Workman said she expects auditions to begin in January 2026.
The community’s enthusiasm for the semiquincentennial — marking 250 years since the nation’s founding — reflects Freeport’s unity, she said. “The world is so divided today, and Freeport is such a diverse village that works well together, that it is understandable that something like this would bring out that sense of camaraderie,” Workman said. “The arts always bring people together.”
Mayor Robert Kennedy said he expected the calendar to fill quickly as more groups sign on.
“I do think that once things get underway, there will be activities that will pique the interests of almost anyone in the Village,” Kennedy said in a statement. “It seems early, but it really isn’t. Everyone on Long Island, across New York and the United States will be vying for dates. I am not directly involved, but I know that everyone is working to create memorable events that provide a glance into history.”
Village Clerk Pamela Walsh Boening is coordinating the event permitting process. “If you’re considering a parade, festival or other event, we’re here to help you fill out the proper application, she said. “And it may seem really early to think about permits, but if you don’t have the necessary permits and approvals, you really don’t have the date. We’ll help by making sure you’re filling out the right application, (and) checking if there are any kinds of fees you need to pay, whether you need police assistance, roads blocked off or other requirements. And this all needs to be in at least three weeks before it needs to be approved.”
Walsh Boening said her office cross-checks dates and advises organizers about insurance or police presence as needed.
“The goal of everyone here at the Village is to make sure people are safe, are hosting events that have the proper permits and that everyone has a good time,” Kennedy added. “It is going to be a wonderful, months-long, multi-location celebration that is going to take all of us working together to pull it off.”
