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No July 4 Celebration At Empire State Plaza As Summer Events Are Canceled

The Price Chopper Fabulous Fourth and Fireworks Festival at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York, United States celebrating US Independence Day
Paul Gallo / Flickr
The Price Chopper Fabulous Fourth and Fireworks Festival at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York, United States celebrating US Independence Day

A New York Capital Region tradition has been sidelined due to COVID-19.
For the first time in 44 years, New York State’s Fourth of July Celebration at the Empire State Plaza, which has traditionally kicked off the annual Summer at the Plaza series, has been canceled along with the entire summer schedule of community events.

Officials say this is being done in an effort to avoid large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. No concerts, festivals or mass gatherings of any kind will take place at the Plaza until further notice.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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