–By Zoe Loizeaux
The Rye Historical Society held this year’s annual Fourth of July celebration on the Village Green, with historical reenactments, historic speeches, addresses, readings of the Declaration of Independence, sing-a-longs, and activities that drew nearly 200 people.
The event was designed to highlight not only the nation’s declaring independence from Great Britain, but the role Rye residents played in the nation’s fight for that independence.
“Today’s event is a vibrant celebration of American ideals such as freedom, independence, and liberty” said Rye Historical Society Executive Director Anne Gold. Started in 1974 by John Carey — who served as city mayor from 1974-1982 — the tradition has been carried on by his son, Rye resident Douglas Carey, who works in collaboration with Leaders of Tomorrow.
Carey opened the event playing the role of Dr. Ebinezer Haviland, whom the Rye Historical Society has described as “a prominent member of the Rye community in the 1770s.” He was also a town supervisor, town clerk, and leader of the “Rye Patriots.”
Wearing a colonial suit, Carey, as Haviland, addressed the issue of taxation without representation during the Revolutionary War period, an issue that prominent residents of Rye became deeply involved with after the Boston Tea Party in 1773.
Elle Talbot, a sophomore at Rye High School, played the fictional daughter of Issac Gidney. He was another “taxation without representation” activist in Rye during the late 1700s.
Other, lesser known figures portrayed at the event included Victoria Woodhull, who in 1872 became the first woman to run for president of the United States, and Geraldine Ferraro, the first female vice-presidential nominee, who ran with Walter Mondale in 1984.
Audience members did more than listen, the celebration included attendees trying on period costumes.
“By dressing up in costume and experiencing what it was like to be a child in colonial days, we hope to make history come alive for our youngest attendees,” Gold said.
In addition to trying on costumes, local residents took part in reading passages from the Declaration of Independence. Readers included Rye’s own George Latimer, the Westchester County executive and U.S. House candidate; Susie Morison, and Caroline Kirby.
Pamela McGuire, who portrayed Geraldine Ferraro, said, “It is truly remarkable how relevant all of the values presented in the Declaration of Independence are today. It is so important to continue spreading all of this information.”
This year’s event also highlighted the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and featured Rye resident Ingraham Taylor reciting Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb; An Inaugural Poem for the Country,” which Gorman wrote for and read at President Joe. Biden’s inauguration in 2021.
Audience members watched the unveiling of an historic 48-star flag of the United States, followed by a sing-a-long of traditional patriotic songs.
“This event was created for the people, by the people, of the people,” Carey said. “We all saw how residents came out very passionate about history. We had close to 200 people here this morning and I couldn’t be more happy with how it turned out.”
The Rye Historical Society and Leaders of Tomorrow thanked the Rye Free Reading Room, Cmdr. Fred De Barros, and The Rye American Legion Post 128 for their assistance.