Generally Speaking: Greeks celebrate 194 years of independence
A large contingent of local Greek American marchers helped celebrate 194 years of Greek freedom at the 84th annual Greek Independence Day Parade on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The parade route was from 64th to 79th Street.
Bay Ridge’s Greek School of Plato Marching Band had the honor of playing the American National Anthem and then singers from the school performed the Greek National Anthem (“The Hymn to Liberty”) at the start of the parade.
The school, currently based at 479 81st Street, was founded in 1977. Eleni Karageorgiou is the principal and director, and Vasilios Danas is the school president. The parade, which is reportedly the largest gathering of Greek compatriots outside of Greece, had as this year’s grand marshal Governor Andrew Cuomo.