North Fork July 4 Parade Includes 1st Pride Celebration: 100+ Photos

SOUTHOLD, NY — Waving American flags, a crowd bedecked in red, white, and blue cheered as the 24th Annual Southold Village Merchants' July 4 Parade wended its way through Southold Monday.

Elected officials, the Southold Fire Department, community groups, businesses and more participated in the festive and patriotic event.

For the first time, a pride celebration was also included in the parade.

Kerry Daly Ruggi, who organized the pride marchers, reflected on the joyful moment when the group gathered: "Today we marched as as pride partners, parents and allies for our LGBTQ+ friends, family, and foreigners alike to show our #PrideInOurFlag, waving our red-white-and-blue to stand true for all," she said. "We march to celebrate the freedoms fought by those before us and to remind each other not to give up hope in the wake of a country divided. We move forward, together. "

Daly Ruggi thanked the North Fork Women for Women, "who rallied to show support and carried my great-grandfather's 48-star vintage American flag." She also thanked Joan Tyrer, Gabby Stroup, Barbara Pfanz and Paula DiDonato for their help in organizing all who participated; marchers raised $250 to support the parade and the Southold American Legion, she said.

"When the Supreme Court overturned Roe on June 24th, my first reaction was shock, but anger followed quickly," Daly Ruggi said. I needed to find a way to turn my anger into action." She reached out to Southold Town Councilwoman Sarah Nappa to ask about including a pride contingent in the parade.

"The fear that LGBTQ+ rights could be our next freedom to be revoked was the catalyst. I wanted to continue the conversation past 'Pride Month' and past rainbows — to bring back pride for all in the American flag," she said.