By Mary O’KEEFE

An estimated 4,000 people celebrated the Fourth of July at La Crescenta Elementary (LCE) to take part in the annual Crescenta Valley Fireworks Association (CVFA) fireworks extravaganza. The CVFA worked hard to make the celebration enjoyable and the fireworks spectacular, which people have grown to love for years. 

The event historically was held at the Crescenta Valley High School’s track and field; however, due to construction CVFA had to pivot to the nearby elementary school.

“We have held the event at LCE a few times in the past when CV’s field was unavailable, so many of us are used to the two fields. That being said, the full football field of turf at CV High is a great setting for viewers to hang out on their blankets and chairs. LCE is a more intimate experience since the seating area is probably half as big,” said Chris Waldheim, CVFA president. “It is our hope to return to CVHS in 2026, but we will not know that until later this year or early 2026.”

Many fireworks events are replacing traditional displays with drone light shows, including the Rose Bowl show that this year reportedly used about 750 light drones. 

There have been questions as to whether or not the CVFA would turn to drones in the future. 

“We have discussed the possibility of a hybrid show with drones and fireworks, but we have received mixed reports on drone shows. And fireworks is part of our name, so I don’t personally see a full change over to drones any time soon,” Waldheim said.

It takes a lot of hands, a lot of volunteers who work behind the scenes to make sure everything is safe and fun, to put on this fireworks show. 

“We had at least 40 volunteers helping [on the Fourth] set up and tear down the event this year. CV baseball and Falcon robotics were the two big student groups this year. The balance were all adults from [Glendale] Rotary, the Veterans of Foreign Wars [Post 1614/American Legion Post 288], the CV and Montrose chambers of commerce as well as from other local service organizations,” he added. 

Prom Plus and CVHS Prom Plus Club held their traditional parking lot fundraiser, selling spots for $5 each. For information about Prom Plus visit www.promplus.org.

The costs of putting on the CV fireworks show continues to increase and the event is donation driven. 

“Most of our fundraising happens between January and July of each year. Our main sponsors – [Los Angeles] County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and the City of Glendale – both have a process we go through in order to be approved for their generous support. We also reach out to the businesses that have supported us in the past and then we do a mailing to all the generous residents who send in $25 to $250 checks or donate through PayPal. That information is available at CVFireworks.com all year long,” Waldheim added. 

In the end, the CV fireworks show is a community celebration that has been a constant for over three decades. The show used to be sponsored solely by the CV Chamber of Commerce, but when they voted to move away from the event in 2006  community members worked to keep it going and formed the CV Fireworks Association. 

“On behalf of our entire committee and the rest of the community, thank you for attending our annual celebration of the 4th of July,”Waldheim said. “We all volunteer our time, energy and money to help put on this event in order to provide a great experience for all of our attendees. We appreciate your support for this event, your donations to our fundraising efforts and your efforts to keep our communities safe by not shooting off illegal fireworks.”