A full day of activities culminates in a fireworks display, scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. over Ring’s Pond.
Cornwall has celebrated Independence Day for decades. An all-day affair was sporadic at first, but by 1950 it became an annual occurrence with the formation of an Independence Day Committee.
“In addition to celebrating the birthday of the country, we’re also trying to remind people of the sacrifices that people made for this country to be born,” said committee chair Brendan Coyne. “There are some historical aspects to the day. At 2 p.m. we have the church bells ring, which is how the country celebrated 1776. There’s a pagaent at Ring’s Pond and a reading of the Declaration of Independence at St. John’s Episcopal Church.”
The committee only meets six times a year, the first Wednesday in the months of March, April, May, and June. It also meets the third Wednesday in June and on July 3. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. at the Cornwall Volunteer Ambulance Corps building.
Meetings are open to all, but are regularly attended by the approximate 30 members including the committee’s officers: Coyne (chair), Bill Rolon (vice chair), Donna Wright (treasurer), Anne Keegan (recording secretary), and Peter Erwin (corresponding and financial secretary).
Coyne said the committee is always looking for new members.
“We’re always looking for new people. We need younger people to carry it on. In order to continue this tradition we need some younger folks who realize how important this is to Cornwall.”
Anyone interested in joining may contact the committee through its website, cornwall4th.org, or via its Facebook page, Cornwall Fourth of July.
Besides the committee, a number of organizations also contribute to the day. The Catholic Daughters sponsor the pet show and the Lions Club annually holds its lobster sale. Three organizations helped to put together floats for this year’s parade. Boy Scout Troop 206 refurbished and assembled the eagle float. The New Windsor/Cornwall Rotary Club assembled a replica of Henry Hudson’s Half Moon and the Girl Scouts assembled a float of the Clermont, the first steamboat to sail the Hudson River.