The Historical Society of the Merricks will be once again this year conducting a FREE bus tour of Merrick. The bus is air conditioned and there will be two tours (1 hour each) beginning after the Annual Declaration of Independence reading. Reserve your seat(s) below with Jerry Medowar (516 623 6739), once reservations are satisfied seats will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
Tour times are 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. it leaves from the LIRR parking lot, near the gazebo.
PUBLIC READING OF DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Annual July 4th Event at Merrick Railroad Gazebo
by Lynda Bekore
The Historical Society of the Merricks will hold its annual 4th of July public reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Railroad Gazebo, Saturday, July 4, at 10am. The Gazebo is located on Merrick Ave., just north of Sunrise Hwy. at the Merrick railroad station.
The entire public is invited to attend and participate, free of charge. Copies of the Declaration are provided and all attendees--adults and children alike--are invited to read a line out loud from this momentous document.
The Historical Society has been hosting the reading of the Declaration for almost 30 years, since its own inception during America’s bicentennial in 1975. Community members look forward all year to this memorable event. Participants of all ages arrive by car, bike, and on foot, bringing their friends, children and even pet dogs, eagerly gathering in the shaded gazebo to share in the spoken delivery of the most powerful words in America’s history.
The adults become as excited and awed as the children, and even the dogs on their leashes are silent as the first person begins, “When in the course of human events…” The excitement grows as everyone wonders who will be standing in just the right spot to read one of the most famous sentences ever written, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”
The Historical Society is proud to sponsor this important and memorable event for the community. Throughout its 34-year history, the Society has been instrumental in providing local residents with valuable educational and cultural services, and holds a large and fascinating collection of Merrick and Long Island memorabilia. Past community events have included guided bus trips of historic Merrick, holiday balls, dedication of place markers at historic Merrick sites and, most recently, a children's "historical highlights" scavenger hunt. The Historical Society is also a past nominee for the Eleanor Roosevelt Award, a statewide community service award.