Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by Village of Pelham Mayor Chance Mullen.

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing to share some of the exciting events coming up in the next month, as we turn the corner into summer. After a long and challenging year, we’ll have a host of opportunities to stretch our legs and build community with each other, and I hope you’ll join us.

First, this Monday, May 31st, we’ll be celebrating Memorial Day in person for the first time in two years. There will not be a parade. Instead, a motorcade will depart the Manor Club at 11:30am and make its way to Veteran’s Park, across from DeCicco’s. The ceremony will start at noon, led by Joe Durnin, with Robert “Bob” LaGravinese serving as this year’s grand marshal, and County Legislator Terry Clements as the keynote speaker. Many thanks to the American Legion Pelham Post 50 for organizing the event, and I hope to see you there as we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

On June 12th, Pelham Together is bringing SummerFest back to Pelham! You do not want to miss this party. Right in the heart of Pelham, in Wolfs Lane Park, Pelham Together will be hosting a dog parade (and awards), live music by Pelham youth, a spikeball tournament and lawn games for kids. Thrive will host a 305 Fitness/Dance class, the Pelham Community Rowing Association will lead a rowing class, and we’ll get to enjoy Pelicones ice cream all afternoon. At the end of the day, adults can sample a Beer Garden at Rockwells, sponsored by Houlihan Lawrence. And the best part: the money raised by the event will go right back into initiatives to support Pelham’s youth.

One week later, on June 19th, the Village of Pelham Council on the Arts (VoPCA) will host Pelham’s first official celebration of Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when news of emancipation reached people in the deepest parts of the former Confederacy in Galveston, Texas. This local celebration will be the first of many collaborative efforts organized by the VoPCA, in partnership with Pelham Art Center, The Picture House, and Pelham Chamber of Commerce. We’ll be dedicating a beautiful and interactive sculpture by artist Musa Hixson called The Conversation Sculpture. Students from Pelham Memorial High School will exhibit their artwork throughout the park, The Picture House will provide programming for families, and Pelhamites of all ages will be invited to watch and participate in art activities. Black History is American History. It’s our shared history. This celebration will give us all an opportunity to come together and commemorate this important milestone.

And finally, on the evening of June 21st, we’ll honor local hero “Mickey” Schwerner with a plaque dedication at the corner of Michael Schwerner Way and Fifth Avenue (near the gazebo). An alumni of Hutchinson Elementary, Pelham Middle School and Pelham Memorial High School, Mickey was one of three Freedom Riders murdered by the KKK in 1964 while fighting for Black civil rights in Mississippi. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2014, his courage and values continue to inspire us. The ceremony will take place on the 57th anniversary of his death. The idea for this plaque dedication came from the founding leaders of the Pelham Memorial High School Interact Club, Nevan Malwana, Vice President, and Jamie Burke, President, who were inspired after last year’s protests. They’ve received support from the Rotary Club of the Pelhams and D Ragno Landscaping. After the ceremony, the Town of Pelham will be holding a concert at the gazebo, as part of its Summer Concert Series, and participants are invited to stay and enjoy a performance by the Phil Kiamie band.

It’s been a tough year, Pelham. As challenging as it’s been, though, we have so much to celebrate. In just two short weeks, over 75% of our adult population will be fully vaccinated, and all summer long, the VoPCA will be hosting pop-up concerts in the park, the Chamber of Commerce will be holding events in our downtown, we’ll enjoy Sunday morning street markets across from the Town gazebo, and we’ll all get plenty of reminders why there is no better place to live than right here in Pelham.

See you soon,

Chance