By Sara Beth Williams–
Thousands gathered in Van Maren Park on June 28 for the third annual Stars and Stripes celebration hosted by the city of Citrus Heights. An estimated 7,500 attendees filled the park for the second year in a row, according to city officials, which is nearly double the estimated attendance in its first year.
The celebration featured energetic music spanning multiple decades from the band Mercy and the Heartbeats and an active Kids Zone sponsored by Sunrise Recreation and Park District and the Police Activities League, which took over the park’s basketball court. The event concluded with a professional aerial fireworks show that could be seen from miles away.
Various food vendors lined Stock Ranch Road, while live music played from a stage set up near the roundabout that connects Stock Ranch Road, Woodside Drive, and Fountain Square Drive. The streets were closed to vehicle traffic as families and children gathered in an open grass area with chairs and blankets.
Several vendors in the Kid’s Zone offered arts, crafts, face painting, and other activities for kids, and hundreds of red and blue balloons were handed out to kids throughout the night.
Citrus Heights Police officers were on site during the event, and according to the Police Department, extra Animal Services officers were also available and on call during the celebration in preparation for any animal emergencies. According to event organizers, one dog was reported to have gotten loose from its owner at the end of the event.
The 2024 Stars and Stripes Celebration also had an estimated 7,000 attendees, while the inaugural event in 2023 had over 4,000 attendees.
In early 2023, the Citrus Heights City Council voted 3-2 to approve the use of up to $80,000 in American Rescue Plan Act pandemic relief funds to be spent on the inaugural event, with costs going to cover traffic control, fireworks, performances, and other related costs.
For both this year and last year, the city confirmed Tuesday that no ARPA funds were used, and instead funding for the celebration was built into the city’s General Fund.
This year, 10 businesses and organizations helped to sponsor the event at various levels of sponsorship, the city said. The total cost of the event was still being calculated and was not immediately available before press time.
Prior fireworks shows had been held at Sunrise Mall but were privately funded and discontinued in 2012. As well, an annual Red, White and Blue parade that took place down Sunrise Boulevard was also discontinued in 2019.
*This article was updated to fix a typo in the number of estimated attendees.
