Message from Mayor Josh Losardo – July 3, 3026
I want to thank every Scotch Plains resident who joined us for our two-day Revolution 250 celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. What unfolded over last weekend was, in my view, among the finest community events this Township has ever done, and I don’t say that lightly.
Friday afternoon began at Scotch Plains Baptist Church, where the mood was set the moment General George Washington, General Rochambeau, and Colonel Moylan arrived on horseback.
With fifes and drums playing, a color guard at attention, and members of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution gathered alongside hundreds of residents, we held a solemn ceremony adjacent to a boulder bearing a plaque dedicated by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1955.
There, we paid our respects to the 38 Revolutionary War patriots buried on those grounds. Pastor Chaz Hutchinson and others offered moving remarks, and wreaths were laid in their honor. The moment was both reverent and electric.
From there, General Washington led a procession down Park Avenue to Town Hall, with residents lining the street. At Town Hall, we learned about the Battle of Short Hills, fought 249 years to the very day in and around Scotch Plains, before turning our attention to what everyone had been waiting for: the opening of a time capsule buried by our predecessors during the Township’s 300th anniversary celebration in 1984, with instructions that it be opened during Revolution 250.
What followed may have been the most entertainingly human moment of the entire weekend.
The capsule was sealed inside a metal container - think industrial-strength tuna can. The Scotch Plains Fire Department came to the rescue with specialized tools, and Deputy Mayor Matt Adams and I took turns pounding holes into the lid and prying it open while the crowd baked in the summer sun. It took a while - long enough that I started leading the crowd in “God Bless America,” partly out of patriotism and partly to buy us some time.
When we finally wedged the capsule open, the children crowded to the front to see what was inside, and that included a VHS tape (that many had never seen before), photographs of a giraffe, elephant, and camel that once lived at the Terry-Lou Zoo, which was a family-owned zoo at the corner of Raritan and Terrill roads, and other fascinating items from township leaders and school children from 1984.
CBS News had some fun with the fact that the capsule had only been buried for 42 years. Fair enough. But the capsule was buried intentionally during the Township’s 300th anniversary celebration with specific instructions that it be opened during this special commemoration. We will digitize the capsule’s contents so everyone can enjoy what was discovered.
The Nettingham Middle School Jazz Ensemble provided music throughout the afternoon, while children enjoyed activities in and around Town Hall. Police estimate that approximately 1,000 people attended, a remarkable turnout for a hot and humid Friday afternoon.
Saturday brought a different kind of challenge: humid weather and steady rain that had many of us wondering whether the evening’s festivities would go forward. But the skies cleared, and what greeted us at Shady Rest Golf Club was a perfect summer evening for fireworks.
Food trucks and ice cream vendors lined the grounds. Live bands, sponsored by the Preserve Shady Rest Committee, entertained the crowd. Rising junior Ashley Bowling of Scotch Plains-
Fanwood High School delivered a stunning rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” that set the tone for everything that followed.
My colleagues and I attend nearly every Township event, and over the years we’ve built genuine relationships with many of the residents who regularly participate. What stood out most as we reflected on the weekend was how many new faces we saw and how beautifully diverse the crowd was. Several residents stopped me during the fireworks to say they had been moved to tears by the way we honored Revolution 250.
That meant more than they know.
I’ve said before that Scotch Plains is a community of many backgrounds, many stories, and many journeys. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and it mirrors the American
experiment itself.
We are a proud, patriotic town - 342 years old - and last weekend thousands of people came together to celebrate not only our nation’s founding, but also the remarkable community we continue to build together.
Happy Fourth of July. Enjoy your summer!