Cities: Leave fireworks to the professionals

LANCASTER — Residents Valley-wide are urged to leave the Fourth of July fireworks to the professionals and instead enjoy a holiday celebration and fireworks extravaganza at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds.

The free event is a joint production of the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale and will feature favorite Rural Olympics competitions, live entertainment and, of course, a spectacular fireworks display to top off the evening.

The event begins at 5 p.m. on July 4, and is expected to run about five hours.

“The City of Lancaster is excited to partner with the City of Palmdale to put on a celebratory event for our entire region,” Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said in a statement announcing the event. “Our community has been eager to take advantage of the warm weather and summer activities, so there is no better way to honor our great country and city than to gather as a community for this fireworks extravaganza.”

A limited number of free tickets for grandstand seats are available for the event. These will be distributed, while supplies last, at the Trace Atkins concert at Lancaster Municipal Stadium on

Sunday, vaccination sites at the AV Fairgrounds during the week of June 28, the Museum of Art and History at 665 West Lancaster Blvd. from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 2 to 6 p.m. on June 29, and The BLVD Farmers Market from 6 to 8 p.m. on July 1.

Free tickets will also be available in Palmdale from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the following locations: the Palmdale Library, 700 East Palmdale Blvd.; Oasis Recreation Center, 3850 East Ave. S; and Marie Kerr Park Recreation Center, 2723-A West Rancho Vista Blvd. (Ave. P).

Seating outside the grandstand arena is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets.

Highlighting the festivities will be two favorite events from the long-running Rural Olympics, typically held during the Antelope Valley Fair and Alfalfa Festival.

The potato race, in which contestants attempt to spear potatoes from a moving car, will pit representatives of the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale against each other.

The tug-of-war will see a struggle between athletes from Antelope Valley and Quartz Hill high schools.

Live entertainment by Trinity, a tribute band specializing in the music of Journey, Styx and Foreigner, will open the event.

Food and beer concessions will be available in the Cantina area of the fairgrounds. No outside food or drink will be permitted.

The fireworks spectacular is expected to begin around 9:15 p.m.

“This collaboration between our cities is going to create what will be one of the largest and most spectacular fireworks shows this Valley has ever seen,” Palmdale Mayor Steve Hofbauer said in announcing the event. “With this display of pyrotechnical power and color filling the skies, there is absolutely no need and no excuse for anyone to waste their time and money on illegal fireworks that pose a threat to life and property.”

Outside of the official production, fireworks of any kind are illegal in Lancaster and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, including Quartz Hill, Littlerock, Lake Los Angeles, Pearblossom, Acton, Aqua Dulce and the Lakes communities.

Lancaster Sheriff’s Station officials said during a Town Hall on Tuesday that extra staff will be deployed for fireworks enforcement.

Fines in Lancaster for illegal fireworks start at $2,500.

In Palmdale, “safe and sane” fireworks bearing the state Fire Marshal’s seal will be available for sale and use. These fireworks do not launch into the air and explode.

These fireworks will be sold at 32 booths manned by Palmdale-based non-profit organizations. Sales begin at noon on Monday and continue until noon on July 5.

All other fireworks not labeled safe and sane are illegal in Palmdale.

Fireworks of any type are also prohibited in certain areas of the city, generally the Anaverde area, areas south of the California Aqueduct and certain locations on the city’s west side, primarily in Rancho Vista.

An interactive map on the city’s website details the specific areas where fireworks are prohibited.

Residents may anonymously report illegal fireworks by calling 661-267-5234 or online via the city’s website, cityofpalmdale.org/fireworks.

Fines for the illegal fireworks, including spectators, range from $2,500 to $10,000.