Facing mega-drought conditions and the constant threat of wildfire, the city of Petaluma is to be commended for making the hard decision to cancel the 2022 Fourth of July fireworks. Yes, it was met with plenty of complaints and even some misguided threats to “vote out the City Council” (who, by the way, had nothing to do with the decision to snuff out the fireworks). The outrage is understandable; it’s hard to let go of tradition, especially on holidays.
But much like setting off sparklers in the backyard, certain tried-and-true activities need to be reconsidered, considering the unyielding effects of climate change seen all over our state. It takes but one misfired rocket to set a whole city ablaze. Not to mention hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to wet down the area before the show (according to the New York Times, the city of Claremont uses 650,000 gallons per fireworks show). And so while unpopular, pulling the plug on this year’s pyrotechnics was likely needed.
Like many cities throughout the west, Petaluma looked to drones to fill in the holiday gap. It’s a commonsense solution to the question of how to celebrate the Fourth of July in fire-prone regions. A quick check on YouTube shows hundreds of impressive drone shows, often set to music, that show lights and patterns dancing across the sky.
There was excitement about Petaluma’s first drone show — something new and different to mark the occasion. While it promised to cover from downtown to Sonoma Mountain, the reality was anything but. Much of the the east side could only see faint flickering programmed to an unusual array of music, like The Police’s “Roxanne” and the “Game of Thrones” theme song.
Viewers downtown, however, were treated to a more interesting, albeit still underwhelming, holiday display. Red, white and blue lights swooped and swayed across the sky. We suspect the west side’s experience is closer to what the city expected when they booked the drone operator.
While not perfect in its first year, this concept has all the makings for holiday magic if done more thoughtfully. The community needs better directions on where to gather in order to see an optimal viewing experience. Hopefully by next year, the pandemic will have subsided enough that we can all meet at the fairgrounds to watch the show with booming music and maybe some cotton candy or corndogs.
Let’s face it, fireworks are cool — the color, the sparkle, the big BOOM. But they also poses a fire risk, trigger PTSD in combat veterans, drive pets insane, make birds abandon their nests in panic and create air pollution (National Geographic reported, “The festivities in the L.A. metro area last year produced as much smoke as a moderate wildfire”).
A more electronic, less explosive Fourth of July is likely our future. But it will need to be more dynamic and better organized than we saw this year to fill the glittering holiday void.
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July 07, 2022 at 10:02PM
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Editorial: Laser show is a good idea that needs work - Petaluma Argus Courier
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