Community Corner

Nearly 300 Start July 4 Celebration at Pequot Library

Bike parade precedes sack races, trivia contest, badminton, face painting and American fare

Editor's note: This article was corrected at 1:05 a.m. to reflect the correct architectural style of Pequot Library.

Pequot Library's annual July 4 celebration could have taken place 100 years ago.

Dozens of kids rode bikes decorated in the colors of Old Glory from Southport Center to the pink granite library's Great Lawn, where they enjoyed sack races, badminton, face painting and a hula-hoop contest and ate hot dogs, ice cream and cherry pie. Kids also rode in decorated wagons and walked the two-block route.

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"This is a patriotic, big crowd," said Daniel Snydacker, the library's executive director. "It's one of these relaxed, fun things. There's not a digital screen up anywhere. It's just good old-fashioned fun."

Stephanie Copeland of Fairfield, who was at the celebration with her daughter, Abigail, 9, said she used to go to Pequot Library as a kid and she wanted to share part of her childhood with her daughter.

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"I did lots of things here, so Pequot Library is really a staple from my childhood, and I would really like my child to be part of the tradition," she said. "I thought, coupled with the traditions of the 4th of July, I wanted to start a tradition with her."

Copeland said she also loved the architecture of Pequot Library, which was built in the late 1800s in the Romanesque style. "I like the aesthetics of the 4th of July with downtown Southport and the library. It's a way to celebrate. It's still a small-town feel. You're not fighting the crowds; it's a community feeling."

Katelyn Moon of Westport, who came to the 4th of July celebration with her husband, Michael, and children Sarah, 1, Kylie, 3, and Matthew, 5, said she loves Pequot Library and always comes to its holiday events.

"It's always fun and kid-friendly and a great thing to do with the family. We love the parade the best. I think it's fun for the kids to be a part of the parade, and they loved decorating their wagon for the day," she said.

Moon said her kids are too young to be a part of a lot of events, but the July 4 parade to Pequot Library was perfect for them. "We hope to make this a yearly tradition, to come back every year," she said.

Snydacker wasn't sure when Pequot Library started the annual parade - he guessed it was about nine years ago - but he said it's grown over the years, and Susan Ei, the children's librarian, agreed.

Ei said the parade started out as kids riding bikes to the library and having a pie-eating contest, and, over the years, grew to include a lot of other kid-friendly events as well. "It's pretty big now. It really is," Ei said.

Snydacker estimated the crowd at this year's event at 300 parents and kids and said it was the largest crowd to date. "I think this is bigger than ever," he said.

Snydacker thanked Fairfield firefighters for helping out at the celebration and thanked Fairfield police officers for leading and following the parade to ensure kids riding bikes, walking and riding in wagons were safe on Pequot Avenue, which can be a busy street in Fairfield's Southport neighborhood.

"They detailed a complete crew, front and back, to come down here," Snydacker said of the Fairfield Police Department. "I really appreciate it. That keeps it safe."

Arlene Cruz of Southport, who was at the celebration with her children Isabella, 10, Francesca, 7, and Max, 6, said, "It's a great community event."

"It's just a great way to bring the community together...It's a great way to start the 4th of July," Cruz said.

Isabella said she liked the face painting booth the best, saying it was really cool and fun. "The trivia [contest] was fun too, because it was like a family thing," she said.

Max also liked the face painting booth best, while Abigail Copeland said she liked the festive atmosphere and going inside the landmark library and seeing the stained glass.


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