Southampton Fourth Of July Parade Canceled

Southampton’s Commission on Veterans Patriotic Events announced Friday that the village’s annual Fourth of July parade would be canceled due to lingering fears over the coronavirus.

“It’s something we hate to give up, but we need to take people’s health into consideration,” said Robert Grisnik, the commission’s chairman. Mr. Grisnik said he had discussed the matter with village officials and all agreed “we were just not in the position to have that many people in the street and all those people in the parade.”

Mr. Grisnik held out a glimmer of hope that the parade could be rescheduled later in the summer.

“I’ve been in contact with all the participants, the bands we have contracted with, telling them the parade has been canceled for the Fourth of July weekend and asking if they would be available at a later date,” he said. “Maybe Labor Day weekend. We have to play it by ear.”

The parade has been a much loved tradition in Southampton Village, drawing bands, civic organizations, fire departments, local politicians, and large crowds of onlookers from across the East End since at least the end of World War II. “The combined veterans have been doing it forever,” he said.

Another village Fourth of July Event, the Southampton Fresh Air Home’s annual fireworks display, will go on as scheduled, according to the home’s executive director, Tom Naro, even though the home’s annual fundraiser won’t be held.

“The Fresh Air Home has been providing Southampton’s fireworks for 32 years, but normally it’s done as part of a fundraiser,” Mr. Naro said. “But the board of directors felt it was important to do this, especially after the year we’ve been having.” He added that the event had been cleared with village officials

The fireworks will be shot off from a barge anchored in Shinnecock Bay starting at 9:15 p.m. on July 3.