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05/08/2020 12:00 AMDue to the coronavirus pandemic and a lack of permits from the state, the town is postponing all Fourth of July activities, First Selectman Peggy Lyons told The Source/Zip06.com, including the parade organized by the Madison Exchange Club and firework displays, though the hope is to still hold these events over Labor Day.
Lyons said an announcement would be forthcoming, but that the town had realized logistically and safety-wise it would be impossible to hold these events and host the number of people who usually attend on that July 4 weekend.
“We get thousands and thousands of people at our Fourth of July parade that are very tightly packed together. There’s no way we can pull that off in a safe way,” she said.
Earlier this week, Griswold Post 79 of the American Legion and VFW Post 2096 announced the cancellation of the annual Memorial Day parade.
Currently, the state is not issuing permits for things like fireworks or parades, according to Lyons, and not knowing when they might be able to secure those permits was another reason for the postponement, though Lyons said safety was always the primary concern.
The plan, Lyons said, is to hold all of the events and celebrations over Labor Day weekend in early September, though she emphasized that entirely depends on restrictions that may or may not be put in place by the state, as well as a bevy of other logistical issues.
Other concerns around holding these events in July include a lack of parking and the potential influx of out-of-town visitors, according to Lyons.
“We’re hoping that we will be in the position to offer all that for our community Labor Day weekend,” Lyons said.