It is not the original vision organizers had in mind, but plans are coming together for an Independence Day weekend celebration that will include food vendors, music and a drone light show on July 4.
This July 4 will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors has already budgeted $100,000 for the weekend long event.
So far, $20,000 has been spent as a down payment on the 14 minute drone show, which will cost $40,000.
Private funds are being raised for the event under the auspices of the nonprofit Mariposa Butterfly Festival. Mariposa County is taking on responsibility for obtaining insurance for the event.
Mariposa County Supervisor Jenni Kiser believes the celebration may be just what the community needs.
“I’m hoping the 250th will encourage people to look to their right and to their left and find gratitude in our amazing community, their friends and families and so much more,” Kiser said.
The drone show will be produced by Skye Dreams, a Fresno based light show company.
In lieu of fireworks, the lighted drones will create a visual history tour featuring iconic historical images of the Southern Sierra Miwuk, the California Gold Rush, Half Dome and the Mariposa County Courthouse.
Mariposa County Board of Supervisors Chair Danette Toso said she and other organizers had originally envisioned shutting down the length of Highway 140 through the town of Mariposa from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 4, from 4th Street to Jones Street at the four way stop.
But after initially getting a thumbs up, the California Highway Patrol informed the county last week it would not allow Highway 140 to be barricaded and for traffic to be diverted along Bullion Street.
There were also concerns that if attendees were bused into town from the parking lot at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds, the county would be assuming liability for those people in the unlikely event of an evacuation.
So organizers have pivoted and seem enthusiastic about the coalescing plan, which will see events at the Mariposa Arts Park, with vendors on the walkway along Mariposa Creek extending to the parking lot at the south end of County Park Road, which is the location of a farmer’s market.
The plan is for vendors on side streets along Highway 140, and at the vacant lot of the old Frost Shop, with additional events at the Mariposa Museum & History Center.
There will also be a car show with vehicles “through the ages,” Toso said.
Highway 140 will remain open for the duration of the weekend event, with the exception of a parade and the drone light show on Saturday night.
“I’m excited, this makes a lot more sense,” said Kiser of the revised plans. She gave credit to the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office for ironing out the new plan with a more manageable footprint.
“It reduces all the pressure on the departments: California Highway Patrol, Caltrans and the sheriff’s office,” she said.
Kiser said community organizations like the Mariposa Yosemite Rotary Club and Mariposa Lions Club are already involved.
She is also hopeful that local businesses will step up for the fundraising effort.
“I want to, at the very least pay, for the drone show in donations,” Kiser said.
July 4 falls on a Saturday this year, but many state and federal workers will have the preceding Friday off.
It may be an unusually active weekend for tourism.
Yosemite National Park will be offering free admission for U.S. residents during Independence Day weekend, from Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5.
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