STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — There will be plenty of ways to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday this summer on Staten Island, and a new website aims to help borough residents take it all in.
Borough President Vito Fossella, a Republican, welcomed multiple cultural leaders to Borough Hall in St. George on Tuesday to announce the launch of a new website, America250SI.org.
Serving as a central portal for residents, schools, not-for-profits and community organizations, the website provides a schedule for commemorative events on Staten Island. It also provides submission forms for organizers to post their events.
Borough President Vito Fossella on Tuesday unveiled America250SI.org, creating a central portal where anyone can share or discover events celebrating the historic milestone.(Advance/SILive.com|Nicolette Cavallaro)
“We’ve been putting a lot of effort into how Staten Island will commemorate the 250th anniversary,” said Fossella. “We’re here today to say that we will launch a new website, a portal for anybody on Staten Island who is interested in celebrating their own little way.”
Fossella was joined by Jessica Baldwin Phillips, current CEO of Historic Richmond Town. Phillips and her team at the living museum spearheaded the project as a way to encourage stakeholders to participate in the celebration.
Historic Richmond Town’s Jessica Baldwin Phillips spearheaded the website, which she spoke about Tuesday during a press conference at Borough Hall. (Advance/SILive.com|Nicolette Cavallaro)
“Today, we have the privilege and the responsibility to remember that history is not something static, but something we actively carry forward,” said Baldwin Phillips. “This new website is an invitation to do just that.”
“It brings together the full breadth of our borough; our cultural institutions, community organizations, schools and neighborhoods into one shared space,” continued Baldwin Phillips. “A place where residents and visitors alike can discover events, programs and moments of reflection that will mark this historic anniversary.”
Ed Burke, former Deputy Borough President, environmental advocate and longtime Staten Island public servant, spoke about the importance of the online platform ahead of the historic milestone.
Burke said he appreciated that the listings will range from “the smallest events in the classrooms or in the parks, to large scale events.”
Ed Burke, former Deputy Borough President and environmental advocate, shared how important the new platform is to the community in speaking about America250SI.org during a press conference Tuesday at Borough Hall.(Advance/SILive.com|Nicolette Cavallaro)
“All of it’s going to find a place and be in the hearts of Staten Island. So please visit this portal, and let’s all celebrate this amazing milestone,” Burke said.
‘1776′ musical at S.I. theater
While the portal will continue to grow as the anniversary draws closer, some events are already in the works, including a production of the award-winning musical “1776″.
Tickets are on sale for July 1-3 at the Clara and Arleigh B. Williamson Theatre, on the College of Staten Island’s campus in Willowbrook. The show is being presented by Charlie Siedenburg, artistic director at the school’s Center for the Arts, and Charles Sullivan, executive director of the GhostLight Players Theater Company.
Charlie Siedenburg, the Artistic Director at the College of Staten Island’s Center for the Arts, and Charles Sullivan, Executive Director of GhostLight Players Theater Company, are bringing the award-winning musical “1776” to Staten Island for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
(Advance/SILive.com|Nicolette Cavallaro)
“It’s an extraordinary musical… it is reenacting the birth of our nation, people who had nothing in common, who couldn’t disagree more, coming together for this greater good,” said Sullivan, who stars in the show as founding father Benjamin Franklin.
“And even though you know the outcome…while you’re in the play, you really don’t know how it’s going to end. It’s just the genius of the writing. You feel the frustration, you feel the hope.”