New Rochelle To Celebrate Ties With Sister City On Bastille Day

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — In celebration of New Rochelle's founding by French Huguenots 330 years ago, the New Rochelle Sister City Committee will hold a Bastille Day ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, July 13. The event will take place in front of City Hall. This French national holiday, recalling the storming of the king’s political prison, recognizes the French Revolution as a result of the lessons learned in the American Revolution and ideas in our Declaration of Independence.

The ceremony will include greetings by Mayor Noam Bramson, a short talk on sister city initiative programs by Committee Convener Peter A. Korn and a brief note on “Why We Celebrate Bastille Day” by Alexandra Leclere, committee member. Celebrants and guests will witness the raising of the tri-color of the French Republic and join in singing “La Marseillaise” and "The Star Spangled Banner."

A light reception in the City Hall Rotunda will take place immediately following the event.

On Saturday, July 14, the Downtown Business Improvement District will hold a special Bastille Day celebration on Library Green. French-style goods and products will be highlighted with free berets, red balloons, a can-can dance performance and Monet waterlily crafts. A music performance — “Rockin’ with Arnelle” — will begin at 11 a.m.

From July 12 to July 15, Friends of New Rochelle Jazz Festival will bring a variety of artists to Jolo’s Restaurant, and at 7 p.m. Friday, July 13, there will be a Facebook Live performance. Visit www.facebook.com/NewRochelleJazzFest for full schedule.

The Bastille Day ceremony is presented by the Sister City Initiative, which seeks to deepen the 330-year bond of friendship between New Rochelle and La Rochelle, France.

Photo credit: Michael Woyton/Patch Staff.