By Ogden Town Supervisor Mike Zale
Watching thousands of families gather together to celebrate America’s 250th birthday is a memory I’ll never forget. Seeing neighbors reconnect, children laughing and playing, veterans being honored, families enjoying incredible food and music, and everyone looking to the sky together as the fireworks lit up the night reminded me just how special this community truly is.
In the days following the event, I read through countless texts, emails, Facebook messages, and comments from people who attended our America 250 Celebration. I sincerely appreciate the kind words, but events like this are never the result of one person. They happen because of an incredible team effort.
First and foremost, our Ogden Parks and Recreation Director, Andrea Hansen, and her outstanding team deserve tremendous credit. This event was a massive undertaking, and Andrea’s creativity and passion for creating memorable experiences for all ages were on full display.
Tony Mattia and our Buildings & Grounds crew also deserve recognition for the countless hours spent preparing Pineway Ponds Park and ensuring it looked its very best for the celebration and holiday weekend.
Thank you as well to our Town Clerk, Noelle Burley, and her staff for helping shape ideas from the very beginning and for assembling all 500 America 250 coloring books, which were enjoyed throughout the evening.
Christian Barnes deserves special recognition for the many behind-the-scenes details that helped bring this event together—from communications and graphic design to coordinating countless moving parts that most people never saw.
Keeping thousands of people safe is no small task, and we are grateful to Chief Travis Gray and the Town of Ogden Police Department, as well as Chief Zambuto and our dedicated Ogden Special Police volunteers for their tremendous support throughout the evening.
I’d also like to recognize my fellow Town Board members—Aaron Baker, Sal Gerbino, Steve Toms, and Joshua Hinman—for their support throughout the planning process, along with Mayor Gary Penders, Monroe County Legislator Robert Colby, Senator Rob Ortt, and Assemblyman Josh Jensen for joining us in celebrating this historic milestone.
We are equally grateful to the Spencerport Central School District and Monroe 2 BOCES for providing shuttle transportation; the Spencerport Fire District and Gates Volunteer Ambulance Service for standing by throughout the event; and every volunteer, community organization, food vendor, performer, and sponsor who helped make the evening possible.
I truly believe we are blessed in the Town of Ogden. Communities like ours don’t happen by accident. They happen because businesses, organizations, volunteers, nonprofits, public servants, and residents continually step up for one another. Where else in Monroe County can you spend an evening enjoying great music and fireworks, watching your kids bounce on inflatables, and then walk over to meet a team of giant oxen? That’s the hometown charm and partnership that make Ogden so special.
As we celebrate 250 years of our nation’s history, let us never forget those who made that celebration possible. To every veteran, active-duty service member, Gold Star family, and military family who has sacrificed so much for our freedoms, thank you. Because of your service, generations of Americans—including all of us who gathered together on July 2—have been able to enjoy the blessings of liberty. We are forever grateful.
To everyone who came out to celebrate with us—thank you. Seeing thousands of neighbors, friends, and families together on a beautiful summer evening is exactly what makes this community so special.
May God continue to bless the United States of America, the Town of Ogden, the Village of Spencerport, our men and women in uniform, and each and every one of you.
