Since the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department’s beginning, it’s hosted a Fourth of July celebration for city residents.
While the festivities vary from year to year, it’s continued to be a great opportunity for families, neighbors, and friends to gather for a day of free, fun-filled events, Recreation Manager Stephanie Saucedo said. This year, the city is hosting a drone show instead of fireworks to help promote a safe and sane environment.
“This is the first time we are also doing a drone show,” Saucedo said. “A couple of drones are programmed to use their lights and configurations to light up the sky with different patriotic symbols and [play] music that will complement the drones’ icons they will be showing in the sky.”
As long as it’s a crisp night with no fog, as the weather is currently predicting, the
15-to-20-minute light show should be bright and vibrant for viewers, she said. Solvang hosted a successful drone show two years ago, and other major cities like San Francisco and Sacramento have also made the switch to drone shows instead of fireworks.
Santa Maria Fire Marshal Jim Austin told the Sun that the city’s ramped up its efforts to prevent illegal fireworks since he joined the Fire Department three years ago.
“Fire is always a concern, especially in this area of California and this time of year. Over the last couple of years, throughout the nation, the No. 1 ER visit is children the ages of 3 to 7 with thermal burns on their hands from sparklers,” he said.
Safe and sane fireworks don’t leave the ground and have a California State Marshal’s emblem as the stamp of approval, Austin said. Such fireworks can be used from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 4. The fire and police departments alongside the city rangers will be patrolling and issuing citations—up to $1,000—to residents launching fireworks after the designated time or using illegal fireworks. Last year, the city issued nearly 50 $1,000 citations for illegal fireworks; the Fire Department alone issued 22, he said.
“We will be having an air enforcement operation that uses GPS tracking and a database. Through the video, we can identify property lines, parcel numbers, and addresses, and we will record the fireworks leaving the ground,” Austin said. “If we see a firework go up into the sky, we know that’s an illegal firework, and we will zero in on the area and cite the property owner.”
Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on illegal fireworks and risking the citation fees, Recreation Supervisor Saucedo invites the public to the free Fourth of July event at the Elks baseball field behind the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center.
Alongside the drone show, families can enjoy free recreational swimming, pool volleyball and basketball, and a cannonball contest from 3 to 7 p.m. The Model A car club will be bringing some of its award-winning cars to show, and the Abel Maldonado center is hosting an open house that will have laser tag, crafts, and building tours. People can also play tug-of-war, cornhole, and volleyball throughout the afternoon.
Local ’80s tribute band The Molly Ringwald Project will perform an outdoor concert from 6 to 9 p.m., with the drone show closing the night.
“It’s a great, safe, fun outdoor activity for the family to come together. There’s lots of activities for the kids to do—families can still congregate while the kids have fun,” Saucedo said.
Residents arriving in the late afternoon should bring sunscreen, water, hats, and a chair or small umbrella—pop-ups or E-Z up canopies take too much space and block sites. Food trucks will also be on-site to provide food for purchase during the day. Saucedo suggested bringing a blanket, sweatshirt or additional layers for those staying for the concert and the drone show as the night cools off.
Carpooling is encouraged, as there will be limited parking available at the Abel Maldonado center. General parking will be open on McClelland Street and the Santa Maria Civic Center parking structure between City Hall and the public library.
For more information, call (805) 925-0951, Ext. 2260. To report illegal fireworks, call (805) 928-3781.
Highlight:
• Santa Maria is currently accepting applications for the Block Grants Advisory Committee, library board of trustees, and the Measure U Citizens’ Oversight Committee until July 5. Appointments will likely be made at the July 16 City Council meeting. The Block Grants Advisory Committee has five vacancies to fill, with terms ending July 2027. The committee is composed of 15 members nominated by the City Council and assesses community needs, conducts public workshops and hearings, reviews funding applications, and recommends funding allocations. The library board of trustees has two seats to fill in its five-member body that advises the city librarian and City Council on library matters. Measure U Citizens’ Oversight Committee has three seats to fill, and residents on the committee ensure transparency and oversight to the expenses made in relation to Measure U—a sales tax meant to fund public safety. Complete applications at www.cityofsantamaria.org/services/departments/boards-commissions or in-person at the city clerk’s office, 110 East Cook St. Direct questions to (805) 925-0951, Ext. 2306.
Reach Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor at [email protected].
