The heat helped, rather than hindered, participation in Family Day events put on by the Town of Bethlehem at Elm Avenue Park. As families flocked to the pool to stay cool on their day off, they were likewise drawn to entertaining and patriotic activities occurring throughout Independence Day.
On Wednesday, July 4, the celebration events began in the morning with a reading of the Declaration of Independence. The document was split into sections and read by Supervisor John Clarkson, Congressman Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, and Boy Scouts from Elsmere Troop No. 58.
This is the fourth year the reading was conducted. In previous years the event was held at Town Hall and was originally organized by Boy Scout Joseph Garry, who is now in high school. He said town officials were looking for a more formal way of commemorating Independence Day and he stepped forward with his idea. Garry has been involved with the reading ever since.
“I think it’s important for people to remember why we have the day off,” he said. “It’s nice to have fun, but people need to remember the reason for the holiday.”
Tonko said he was proud to participate in the event and has been at the reading all four years.
“It’s a phenomenal tradition,” he said. “I think to really set the tone for the holiday, nothing is more powerful than reading the actual document and having it speak to us. It expresses the boldness, the courage and the determination portrayed to take on a king. It’s moving.”
Family Day continued with ice cream, a barbeque, a magic show and balloonist for the kids, music and an Old Time Base Ball game.
Parks and Recreation Administrator Nan Lanahan said because of the hot weather and the holiday being in the middle of the week, attendance for the game was expected to be high. The event, believed to be in its 30th year, takes several months to plan.
“It’s a good community day to enjoy your family and be outdoors,” she said. “That’s sort of what we’re all about here.”
The Old Time Base Ball game between the 1864 New York Mutuals and the Bethlehem Braves team occurred later in the day. The Bethlehem team took a walloping with a score of 28 to 4, but Steve Peterson, the president of the Bethlehem Braves Travel Baseball Club, said they expected to lose playing under rules and in uniforms from another century.
“Theses guys do this for a living,” he said. The team has already signed on to play in next year’s game.
