Shafter celebrating with fireworks show July 3

Shafter will be celebrating Independence Day on Wednesday, July 3, with their annual July 3rd fireworks event at Shafter High School, utilizing the ball fields on campus and making for a full festival, with food, games, inflatables and music before the main event.

The event draws people from all over Kern County, with one of the only fireworks shows in the county, and also holding it on the third, instead of the fourth. This came about years ago when the city was able to secure the world famous fireworks giant Zambelli Fireworks to do their show. This was when the company was also doing the big show at Bakersfield College, so they told city staff that they could do the show on July 3. It worked out in two ways, not only being one of the only shows on the 3rd, but it is also cheaper for the show being on July 3.

This space is a good fit, with a lot of the crowd going to this area even when the event was held at the stadium, with a good expanse of space and a convenient location for viewing the fireworks.

Gates open for the free event at 6 p.m. Parking in the two high school lots is $10 per car, but many park on streets all around the campus.

The Shafter Chamber of Commerce is again the sponsor, with a number of sponsors making it possible for the event to be free to the public, with donations encouraged and accepted. Last week, the Chamber announced that they had raised $20,000 of the $30,000 that is needed to cover the costs of the event. They will have to dip into their reserves if they do not reach their goal before show-time.

With the costs of the shows rising, and the opposition that some communities are up against when it comes to fireworks, the event has become an attraction for families as far away as McFarland and Delano.