Final plans are being made for the annual Independence Day celebration.
By Charly SHELTON

It’s that time of year again – time for summer cookouts, inflatable rides, sizzling fireworks and red, white and blue attire. It’s time for the 11th Annual Crescenta Valley Fireworks Celebration on Tuesday, July 4.

This year, the festival will be held once again at Crescenta Valley High School’s lower field. After many years of holding the festival at La Crescenta Elementary School, last summer’s campus construction forced the event to switch venues to CV’s field. And although it was supposed to be a one-time change, the event was so successful that the CV Fireworks Association, the non-profit organization formed to organize the annual fireworks show and festival, decided to return to the field again this year.

“Last year was very successful because it was the first year at the new location,” said Robert Wollenweber, president of CVFA. “We were very pleased with the turnout. The feedback I got from the patrons was they were extremely happy with the new location. This year we are going to fine tune things to make incoming and exiting a little smoother. And because of the climate of the world today, we have increased security. We’re fine tuning the food trucks, we’re going to have better food and we’re going to have more activities for children before the fireworks event.”

In addition to the new food trucks and the increased number of inflatable rides for kids, there will also be music performances from 5 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. by Eli Locke, and from 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. by Title Wave with Mike Perry. They will be playing over “a rockstar sound system, that’s about the best way to describe it. It’s the sound system you would find at an outdoor concert,” said Steve Pierce, co-founder of the CVFA and a current board member. And after the music stops, the show begins.

“The fireworks are spectacular. Probably one of the best fireworks shows in Southern California,” Pierce said. “Nothing but the best.”

The fireworks show will be live pyrotechnics shot from the middle field of CVHS. All fireworks will be shooting into the air with no ground display fireworks, so every seat is a great seat.

For the first time this year, guests are allowed to bring beach chairs onto the field to watch the show. Last year, all chairs were banned to protect the synthetic turf but this year any chairs with rounded metal bars at the base will be allowed. Chairs with traditional camping chair feet will not be allowed on the field.

Overall this is just a fun time for the community, put on by volunteers who want to give back.  

“I was born and raised in the city and [it has] been very good to me,” Wollenweber said. “I get a great sense of community by helping out. I just enjoy bringing people together and having a close community and having a great event to celebrate our country’s independence.”

Pierce echoed Wollenweber’s sentiments and is happy to work with such an amazing team.

“I do it because I love this community and I love the people who are on the fireworks association committee. They all are very hard-working individuals and I highly respect being a part of an association and organization that works so hard to make something really pleasant and a fantastic experience for the rest of the community,” Pierce said. “It really is a good organization. I’d say of all the organizations I’ve been involved in, it really is one of the premier ones. Just full of great people.”

Doors open at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4. Tickets are $7 presale or $10 the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased before the event at several businesses around town, including CV Weekly, J’s Maintenance and the CV Chamber of Commerce. The CVFA encourages everyone to buy tickets early to avoid the lines at entry.

A full list of ticket locations and more information, including making donations to the fireworks association, can be found on the website CVFireworks.com.