As smoke from the Toll Fire wafted across the wine country yesterday afternoon — and the National Weather Service kept expanding the coverage area for its “red flag warning” — some local government officials began to reconsider their Fourth of July plans.
So far, tomorrow’s fireworks shows in St. Helena and Yountville have been canceled. And other towns are watching conditions closely.
Here where I live in Healdsburg, some residents are pushing city officials to cancel the local fireworks show, even though we’re right outside the red-flag zone. Our city manager told me last night: “We will only move forward with fireworks if we are confident that we can do so safely. Our executive team is actively reviewing the situation and the guidance of the police and fire chiefs is a key part of that.”
The cities of Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Sonoma and Cloverdale all have fireworks shows planned tomorrow as well, with no word yet of any cancelations. There are also Third of July fireworks planned tonight in Windsor and Sebastopol. (Could be others, too — those are just the ones I know about.)
The sale of fireworks — which, I learned this year, is somehow still legal in the rough-and-tumble northern Sonoma County community of Cloverdale — was also paused by Cloverdale city leaders yesterday, along with local rules that allow people to set off any fireworks they buy there.
(To be clear, though, the official fireworks show at Cloverdale High School tomorrow night is still a go, as of Wednesday morning.)
The Press Democrat reports: “Sales and use of legal fireworks are being suspended in Cloverdale due to unsafe weather conditions that are raising concerns of wildfires, city officials announced Tuesday. The sudden announcement, which comes just two days before Independence Day, is a major about-face for the lone place in Sonoma County where sales and use of so-called ‘safe and sane’ fireworks are allowed. Those sales had just begun on Monday.”
Cloverdale Mayor Todd Lands wrote a long, heartfelt post on Facebook about the city’s decision. He called it “one of the hardest decisions I/we have had to make in a very long time.”
The mayor continued: “I love fireworks, I love our freedoms, and I love supporting the rights and choices of our voters. However, the National Weather Service is showing three major weather issues happening at once on July 4th. Extreme hot weather, low humidity, and most importantly, high wind gusts of 30+mph. Because of all three, we have made the decision to suspend the sale and use of Safe and Sane fireworks for this holiday. Only for this holiday! The risk is too high. This decision had nothing to do with the complaints on social media, the Chicken Littles that send me emails telling me I am going to destroy Cloverdale, or anything other than informed leadership that has to make the hard choices at times. … I am looking forward to finding a safe time to use the fireworks that were purchased, looking for more opportunities to sell and use fireworks, like New Years, and cannot wait to have them back next year for Independence Day 2025!”
St. Helena city leaders, for their part, say they’ll still try to set off their Fourth of July fireworks at a “later date in the year when conditions are more favorable.” (They’re also moving the other holiday events planned for tomorrow, like a community festival, to “areas at Crane Park that provide additional shade and [offer] convenient ways to refill water bottles.”)
So no local fireworks tonight for the people of the Napa Valley.
However! The City of Napa, which is having a bit of an I-told-you-so moment right now, is trying out something new in place of Fourth of July fireworks this year: a flying drone show.
City officials decided a few months ago to switch to this modern, non-flammable option — for precisely the same reason we’re now all worried about the traditional route. (Plus the toll it takes on war veterans and pets.)
From the City of Napa website: “Sky Elements is providing the largest Northern California display (400 drones) at Pearl and West Street parking lot. Recommended viewing areas include Oxbow Commons, 1st and 3rd Street Bridge sidewalks, Veteran’s Memorial Park, China Point and the Riverfront Promenade. Music for the Drone Show will be available at Oxbow Commons or via your smart phone by going to the following YouTube video (July 4th Drone Show Music) or look for the signs with QR code in the recommended viewing areas.”
Pretty fancy, right? There are also a bunch more Fourth of July events going on in the wine country this week and weekend that don’t involve fire, of course. Some of them even involve bodies of water; hallelujah. Here’s an event roundup I sent out yesterday with all the funnest-looking stuff on the schedule.
