Schroon Lake’s 4th of July Celebration is Back

After months of  careful planning and multiple meetings with various stakeholders, the Schroon Lake Chamber of Commerce has announced the return of the July 4th Celebration for 2021.

The 66th festivities will look a lot different this year. The Chamber has opted to “deconstruct” the celebration. Rather than folks lining the streets, various crowd favorites will be available to visit at locations around town, said Chamber Director Sue Palisano.

The idea is for folks to be able to visit different brands bands and musicians at different times so some folks will be in one place and others elsewhere, thus spreading out crowds.

Sue said when organizers began planning the event months ago, the Chamber, Town officials -- with guidance from the County and the Department of Health -- believed this was the best plan. One big difference this year – Main Street will not be closed.

More from Sue:

“Once again, please see current information regarding THIS YEAR'S Fourth of July below. More details will be coming over the next several weeks, but here is the explanation for why the decision was made not to close Main Street and hold a traditional parade.

The Fourth of July Celebration in Schroon Lake takes months of planning that begins in March. At that time, there were still questions about crowd size restrictions (and we are still operating for the foreseeable future under some limits for outdoor gatherings). Working together and in consultation with both Essex County Board of Supervisors and Essex County Health, given the anticipated attendance both the Chamber and Town Boards agreed that holding a traditional parade - with crowds gathering on sidewalks along our fairly short parade route - was ill-advised, and a decision was made not to submit the required Rt. 9 road closure permits to the State DOT.

Instead, we chose to move forward with an alternative plan we were confident we'd be able to execute without the risk of having to cancel and that we expect will draw far fewer people to town than come for our regular parade. Multiple bands/performers will be playing at different times in different places over a two hour period, so some folks will be at one location while others are somewhere else, with people walking around instead of gathering in tight groups for several hours.

This is NOT a permanent situation, nor should the decision made be politicized. The Chamber and Town Board made a decision we felt was in the best interests of our community. Given what goes into making the entire day of activities on the Fourth happen, instead of making this negative we would hope folks would appreciate we're doing our best to hold a celebration”.

What are you most looking forward to this year? Let us know in comments.

Invest in Your Future Adventures in Schroon By Supporting Businesses Now From Far Away

New Graphic designed by the Schroon Lake Area Chamber of Commerce

No matter where you are, your dollars can help Schroon Area businesses stay afloat during this time of staying in place, thanks to novel gift certificate purchase program. It’s the brain child of Sue Palisano and the folks at the Schroon Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.

By simply clicking here, you’ll be taken to a Chamber webpage  where you can buy gift certificates for the businesses list below.

Think of it this way. When we are given the all clear to return to Schroon, we’ll all be going about the activities we’d always be doing: looking for a place to stay, being healthy, eating, drinking and shopping. So you are just investing in your future adventures in Schroon. Once your order is processed your Gift Certificates  — sequentially numbered to assure one-time use. — will be sent to you via the the US Postal Service. Contact the Chamber at 518-532-7675 with any questions or issues with ordering.

Could Schroon Be The Christmas Capital Of The North Country?

UPDATED WITH TONIGHT’S TIMES

The Community Church’s bell choir and SLCS’s jazz band and chorus will perform at the school at 7:00.The spirit of Christmas  -- including a week’s worth of celebrations  -- is alive in Schroon Lake

Under the guidance of the Schroon Lake Chamber of Commerce Director Sue Palisano, her deputy Nicole Howe and the dedicated volunteers of Schroon’s Old Tyme Christmas Planning Committee, this year’s extravaganza is the best ever. (And we’ve seen a few of ‘em).

First off, a plug for tonight’s festivities: there’s the Community Church’s Bell Choir, and Schroon Lake Central School’s Jazz Concert and 6th Grade Concert at the Schroon Lake Central School.

This is the second year of the celebration under the direction of Sue.

“Last year gave me a good sense of what we needed to do this year. Nicole had conceived the Polar Plunge a few years ago. So we thought, you know, what else can we do continue to make this a celebration that wasn't even just one day, but, you know, but multiple days,” Sue told Schroon Laker today.

The committee started planning in earnest before Thanksgiving and started soliciting donations for baskets and looking for involvement from the greater community.

What’s new this year?

“Folks are going to do things that they did last year and we have a lot of, of new things this year. For example, the Friends of the Library, are doing a special holiday bookstore. We've added a holiday lights parade. We're starting really small on that to test the waters. But we've got our fire department and EMS and trucks from Pottersville and North Hudson. Some individuals are doing quads and trucks.

“The Holiday Light Parade starts at the School at 5.30 pm and runs down Main Street to Dock and up to The Strand Theatre, where Santa's being dropped off for his visit with the kids. Also new this year is an Ornament Hunt, which kicks off at 2pm. There’s 140 hidden around town. We still have all of our favorites, the horse and wagon ride and caroling and the tree lighting arts and crafts for kids at the library and at the town store and music all around town.

“We very much miss The Community Church not being here, but they are actually doing a bake sale at the Seagle Music Colony office”

And what gets Sue excited?

“The basket raffle and we're doing our festival of trees again this year. That was a big hit last year. Everybody's just totally outdone themselves this year. The trees are absolutely beautiful and we have over 50 baskets and gift certificates for the raffle, which has just been awesome.”

This year’s trees are sponsored by Glens Falls National Bank, Dollar General, The Upstate Insurance Agency, Peak Properties and the Seagle Music Colony.

So come on out. Go for a plunge. Listen to some good music and high five the fat guy in the red suit.

What’s your favorite part of the celebration? Tell us in comments.