Independence Day Commemoration 2019
Celebrate the Fourth of July in the City of Boston with a parade downtown, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and more!
The City of Boston's annual official Independence Day commemoration includes:
- 9 a.m. - Official celebration begins at City Hall Plaza with a brief speaking program at the flagpoles lead by Mayor Martin J. Walsh.
- 9:20 a.m. - The marching units and dignitaries assemble and proceed from City Hall Plaza to Tremont Street.
- 9:30 a.m. - The procession halts at the Old Granary Burial Ground where Sam Adams, John Hancock, Peter Faneuil and Robert Treat Paine are honored and then continues to Winter Street to Washington Street to Old State House.
- 9:40 a.m. - The Declaration of Independence is read by Captain Commanding Nicholas Schiarizzi of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company at the Old State House balcony, from which the Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians in 1776, by a member of the Ancients.
- 10 a.m. - Procession reforms from Congress Street to North Street and ends at Faneuil Hall.
- 10:15 a.m. - Patriotic Exercises are held at Faneuil Hall, with remarks from Mayor Walsh, oration by Dean Kenneth Elmore and patriotic musical selections.
About the orator
As Associate Provost and Dean of Students, Kenneth Elmore coordinates University efforts to provide a safe environment, where students can find their way within a vibrant academic community. He additionally works with the President and Provost to raise philanthropic support for undergraduate student scholarships, and shares leadership and management of projects associated with student-focused facilities, physical infrastructure, and capital projects.
Kenn's duties as Dean of Students include advising student organizations, planning ways to acclimate students to the University, setting and regulating standards, offering academic support, helping students navigate career goals, making certain the University experience is accessible, and creating a vibrant and welcoming living-learning environment. The offices reporting to Ken -- the Community Service Center, Disability Services, Howard Thurman Center, Judicial Affairs, Orientation, Residence Life, Student Activities -- respond to student concerns, help students solve their problems, and help students build communities.