Massapequa preps for annual parade — with Mayor 'Washington'
Preparations are underway for the start of the Village of Massapequa annual Independence Day parade. Several vehicles from the Museum of American Armor in Old Bethpage are lined up at the start.
The parade begins on Lakeshore Drive at Walker Street and runs south to Front Street.
Crowds are starting to form along the route on a sweltering morning before the festivities kick off at 10 a.m.
World War II veteran and lifetime member of the Massapequa Fire Department Charles Ruppert, Jr. was serve as honorary grand marshal.
George Washington — or Village Mayor Daniel Pearl — was ready for the start of the parade. Credit: Newsday/Joe Werkmeister
George Washington, or Village Mayor Daniel Pearl, was ready for the start of the parade. He and several other officials are wearing costumes as part of the 250th celebration.
The mayor said the Fourth of July parade was the largest the village hosts and this year a larger contingent of participants was expected, including all the recent varsity state championship teams from Massapequa.
"There is no more patriotic community than the Massapequas," he said.
Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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