This image taken of chenangocountypridealliance.org website on a monitor appears to show young children grasping dollar bills on stage with a drag queen at the 2025 Norwich Pride Festival. The group is currently seeking “family friendly” drag performers for this year’s event in Norwich. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

NORWICH – Why does Norwich, the county seat, not have fireworks and lacks events celebrating America’s 250 anniversary on July 4?

Greene and Sherburne, and most other municipalities, are hosting fireworks, parades and above average celebrations.

After speaking to several businesses and government officials behind scenes, some said they forgot, or that it was someone else’s job. But in Norwich, several of them also said American politics have made pro-America celebrations too toxic, often adding, “Were off the record, of course.”

A 2025 survey implied 90-plus percent of Republicans and less than 40 percent of Democrats said they were very proud to be Americans, while other reports put those numbers even further apart using 2026 estimates.

City of Norwich Mayor Robert Jeffrey, pro-fireworks supporter, was also not pleased. He said the city was not made aware of the lack of planning until it was too late. He said the optics should be a face-slap moment for leaders. The city was not responsible for the fireworks in the past and arranging an event this late was impossible and hideously expensive. The mayor did say the city would have been willing to help, but no local groups or other government organizations had reached out or offered.

The Chenango County Historical Society was awarded a $15,000 grant to plan educational celebrations for the 250th event and spent all the money on celebrating Native American history in the area before Norwich existed, on the day after July 4. That focus aligned perfectly with New York State’s visions.

When asked about fireworks, or adding events on the day of July 4 (a government holiday), or focusing on things such as World War 2, the Civil War or founding community leaders with the funds, some history representatives scoffed. Chenango County Historian Henry Drexler said his focus is no history, not wars.

The Evening Sun and Chenango County Historical Society worked together to create a special America 250 edition to promote local community history in the newspaper, published on July 2, which highlighted every single town in Chenango County. Thank you to those who made that possible.

When asked about how much was spent on the July 5 programing, CCHS Director Jessica Moquin, whose signature lists, “Pronouns: she, her, hers,” gave no details and a long response, saying it was complicated and not tracked, but went on to highilght events in the weeks before and after Independence Day. The office then closed on July 2 and said a response would not be possible until July 13 at the earliest.

“We're in the midst of producing Sunday's festival which involves coordinating a wide variety of logistics, so we won't be able to provide all of these details for a few weeks,” replied Moquin.

The Chenango County Clerk responded to a request for public information less than an hour after receiving it July 2, saying historians had been awarded $15,000 to plan events, and history officials signed it all over to one company in a single $15,000 check for the July 5 tribal celebration.

When an artist and historian traveling with the celebration was asked about how the Turtle Island Festival was part of the America’s 250 commemoration, he responded, “Well, you know, it doesn't exactly align in the sense that this is about a time period long before that.”

When asked about any events planned for July 4, the county board clerk reported, “to my knowledge no, not with the funding that was awarded.”

Off record, a few business leaders said the celebration of American nationalism was now too toxic. They pointed to sentiment against President Donald Trump and pressure from non-conditional corporate and government liberal practices in NY State.

However, political controversy has not discouraged the promotion and financial support of other political causes, such as the planned July 18 pride festival that will again feature kid-friendly drag shows at the Chenango County Fairgrounds. Other pride events, such as the one held at the Roger’s Center in Sherburne in 2025, did not feature drag shows.

The Chenango County Pride Alliance features photos on their site from last year’s Norwich event showing what appears to be elementary school-age children giving drag-performers dollar bill tips on stage. The group is currently advertising for “family friendly” drag queens and kings to come and perform in Norwich. It was not clear if, or how much the performers are paid or who supplied the dollar bills to the children to use.

The event has been supported and paid for in large by NBT Bank and the United Church of Christ in Norwich, along with smaller contributions from the Broad Street Methodist Church, Vision Federal Credit Union, The Southern Tier Aids Program/ Identity Youth Center, Preferred Mutual Insurance, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Bainbridge, and Golden Artists Colors.

A request for comment was not returned by the Chenango County Pride Alliance on Thursday. NBT Bank had no comment.

Rev. Peggy Fabrizio, a pastor at Broad Street Methodist Church, did not shy away from comment. She said the event was open to all and it was up to parents to decide what was appropriate for their children and no one else.

She said the church was also open to the idea of other events in town and even entertained the idea of children performing in the show, again saying it was up to the parents and those venues.

“The reason the United Methodist Church supports Pride Fest is we believe there needs to be dignity for all people. Regardless of who they love and being a supportive church in the community is important,” said the reverend.

Asked directly about the drag shows open to children, Fabrizo responded, “I believe the parents can make a decision that they think is appropriate for their own children. It is not for us to say.”

She said this was the church’s first year supporting the event. “We’re anxious to see how our community stands up and supports people who are on the margins of life,” she said.

When asked about how she would respond to someone who found her stance controversial, her response was something that could apply to both sides:

“I think that in life anything can be controversial. It’s about making your own decision on what you think best for you and your family.”