July 4 festivities in Saugerties

Photo from the 2011 parade by Samantha Moranville

Here’s the schedule for July 4 in Saugerties.

Fire department inspection

At 8:30 a.m. members of the Saugerties Fire Department along with their fire engines will line up on Main Street for a formal inspection. Local clergy will bless the firefighters, and the Firefighters of the Year will be announced. Mayor William Murphy will also give a speech.

Parade Marshal

In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts, Nancy Forsythe of Katsbaan, who has worked with the Girl Scouts for more than 52 years, has been named Parade Marshal.

Forsythe joined the scouts in 1959, and since 1960 has been a Brownie and Junior Troops leader. She is currently the leader of the Cadet-Senior Level Troop. In addition to her work with the scouts, Forsythe is also a choir member and head of the trustees at the Saugerties United Methodist Church. There will also be three divisional parade marshals; Bob Siracusano, Cliff Tienken and Bob “Mousie” Wolven.

Cars needed

To help some of the older members of the fire department and other groups to be able to take part in the parade, the fire department is looking for owners of convertibles to lend their vehicles for the day. Anyone with a convertible willing to help out can call the fire department at 246-9701.

Carnival/fireworks

When a carnival vendor scheduled to be part of this year’s July 4th celebration called to cancel just a few weeks before the festivities, the Kiwanis Club, which sponsors the daylong activities at Cantine Field thought it would be two years in a row without rides and fair food.

Once again, they prepared for a backlash. Club members got a lot of grief from the public last year for not holding a pre-fireworks carnival at Cantine, which had become an annual tradition.

But don’t worry – that won’t be happening.

“We were able to find a different vendor, so it all worked out,” explained club president Elizabeth Bechtold. “There will also be plenty of food vendors.”

Prior to the fireworks, which are also sponsored by the Kiwanis, there will be a special performance by local guitarist Connor Kennedy and his Blues Band. The band will be knocking out numbers from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and then from 8 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., when the fireworks are scheduled to begin, the band will be performing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety, Bechtold said.

Fun run

Prior to the start of the parade, the Juvenile Diabetes Relief Fund will be holding the Saugerties Sizzler, a 1.776-K run that will follow the parade route. The run begins at 11 a.m. just prior to the start of the parade. Cost of registration is $15 cash the day of the race or by mail, when the fee is $10 before June 26. The event is supported by the Village of Saugerties Fire Department, the Saugerties Police Department, Diaz Ambulance, and Sawyer Motors.

Registration forms and additional information can be found at www.saugertiessizzler.com.