City cancels Fourth of July festivities for another year

The uncertainty of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced Claremont to cancel its Fourth of July festivities for the second year in a row, the city announced last week.

The Independence Day Committee made the decision at its Feb. 22 meeting. Similar to last year, city staff will look to do virtual events for the entire community to join.

Until the cancellation in 2020 due to COVID-19, annual event have consisted of a fireworks show, a 1K/5K run, pancake breakfast and festival, all funded through sponsorships and revenue generated from the events themselves.

“Planning for the events is a yearlong endeavor and vendor contracts are signed months in advance,” Bevin Handel, the city’s public information officer, said in a news release. “The decision to cancel the events needed to be made before contracts were executed and nonrefundable deposits were made.”

For updated event information, visit claremont4th.org.