Noted for June/July:

Pride Month (1 - 30 June 2014)

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month commemorates the events of June 1969 and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for LGBT Americans.

 In June of 1969, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City staged an uprising to resist the police harassment and persecution to which LGBT Americans were commonly subjected. This uprising marks the beginning of a movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBT Americans.

In 1998, President Clinton issued Executive Order 13087 (PDF) expanding equal opportunity employment in the Federal government by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. On June 2, 2000, President Clinton issued Proclamation No. 7316 (PDF) for Gay and Lesbian Pride Month

This June, recognizing the joys and sorrows that the gay and lesbian movement has witnessed and the work that remains to be done, we observe Gay and Lesbian Pride Month and celebrate the progress we have made in creating a society more inclusive and accepting of gays and lesbians.

On June 1, 2009, President Obama issued Proclamation No. 8387 (PDF) for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. In this proclamation the President pointed to the contributions made by LGBT Americans both in promoting equal rights to all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and in broader initiatives such as the response to the global HIV pandemic. The President ended the proclamation by calling upon the people of the United States to "turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists."

References: 

• http://www.capitalpridecenter.org/
• http://www.loc.gov/
• http://www.deomi.org/

_______________________________________________________________________________

Noted for July:

4TH OF JULY

In 1775, people in New England began fighting the British for their independence. On July 2, 1776, the Congress secretly voted for independence from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was first published two days later on July 4, 1776. The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence was on July 8, 1776. Delegates began to sign the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776. In 1870, Independence Day was made an unpaid holiday for federal employees. In 1941, it became a paid holiday for them.

Local 4th of July Events:

Empire State Plaza Fireworks July 4th, 2013

http://www.albany.com/event/fireworks-festival-35517/

Fireworks in the Saratoga Springs Area Fire Works

http://www.saratoga.com/news/fireworks.cfm

July 4th Celebration at Clifton Park Commons

http://www.cliftonpark.com/event/35940/

Reference:

• http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/independence-day