Ash Trotter was one of the only people who headed out to the Empire State Plaza this Fourth of July after the pandemic canceled the firework tradition held in Albany for the past 44 years.

What You Need To Know

  • The 44-year tradition of fireworks was canceled in Albany amid the pandemic

  • Instead, people flocked to bodies of water, including Saratoga Lake, to celebrate the holiday

  • COVID-19 precautions are in place at crowded areas of the lake like Brown's Beach
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“It’s very obviously empty, especially, considering the fourth is on a Saturday this year,” said Trotter.” Usually, downtown is filled with live concerts, culture, and live music and it all stopped in February. All of it has stopped.”

The Empire State Plaza is usually packed with nearly 20,000 people celebrating and watching fireworks. However, this year, it’s empty. It was open enough for skaters, like Trotter, to take advantage.

“There’s just not a lot of people but, on the other hand, it’s great people are doing the right thing despite the opportunity to party,” he said.

But up at Saratoga Lake, the party raged on, boats filled the water, and as far as all could see, the day's usual events carried on. Kimberly Mascord of Mechanicville has been coming to Saratoga Lake since she was a child.

“It’s been a tradition since I was five,” said Mascord, a mother. 

At Brown’s Beach, the area was packed with those looking to take advantage of the sunshine. Mike Saxton of Troy was at the beach with his family and two children. He says it’s nice to get out of the house after being cooped up for months during the shutdown.

“It has been hard for [my kids] because they haven’t been going to school, but for us, yeah, it’s been a rough couple of months,” laughs Saxton.

And while the beach was filled, masks and precautions were in place. Mascord says she’s not concerned over COVID-19 or catching it at the beach this weekend.

“We have our masks and we have our precautions, but I’m not concerned in the least,” said the beachgoer.

“It’s the fourth of July, I think everything’s been good out here, we’re all pretty safe. We’re all practicing social distancing,” says Saxton.

Still, beachgoer Laura Irish says people still need to be mindful of the risks around in crowded areas.

“We’re still facing the pandemic, we gotta be careful. We can do it, just be careful,” she says.