On Friday, the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty will be celebrated with fireworks, a flotilla, a ceremony and the debut of five torchcams offering stellar views of the New York Harbor.
The Friday night fireworks, sponsored by Macy’s will begin at 7:45 p.m.
It was on October 28, 1886 when the statue, officially known as the “Liberty Enlightening the World,” was dedicated on Bedloe’s Island. “The statue has evolved in meaning since she first graced our shores 125 years ago”, David Luchsinger, Superintendent of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, said in a statement announcing the ceremonies “She began as a symbol of friendship between France and the United States, evolved into a symbol of our great country, and is known today as an international symbol of freedom for people everywhere. This coming Friday is an opportunity to celebrate her complete legacy.”
Friday’s events will begin with a citizenship ceremony for 125 immigrants followed by the main ceremony at 10 a.m. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will speak, Sigourney Weaver will read Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” and Michael Feinstein will sing “C’est Magnifique” and “God Bless America.” Singers Capathia Jenkins and Gay Marshall, actress Anika Noni Rose and students from the Brooklyn High School of the Arts will also take part in the event.
Around noon a small flotilla of government, commercial and private vessels will evoking the “water parade” from the 1886 dedication ceremony.
The five new webcams will serve as something as a substitute for the public views from the statue, which will close for repairs for one year. Liberty Island will remain open, but the crown, interior of the statue, the observations decks and the museum will be off limits during construction.
The new webcams will offer panoramas of the New York City skyline, the Hudson River and New York Harbor. Another camera will offer an interactive fish-eye view of the torch and another will point downward.
“You don’t have to be afraid of heights, because for the first time ever, you can see a view from the torch looking down towards her crown, face, tablet and historic Fort Wood all from your computer or smart phone,” Luchsinger said.
The website for the non-profit Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. will host the webcam. Exterior views of the monument can be seen from other cameras in the NYC webcam gallery, including ones in Midtown and in Brooklyn.
The 12-minute fireworks show will be fire from two barges plus from locations on the island itself, surrounding the statue with color. The show will be synchronized to music that will play on 1010 WINS.
