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Citrus Heights Messenger

Stars and Stripes Celebration Huge Success

Jul 03, 2024 02:50PM ● By Elise Spleiss

This year’s Purple Pageant created dozens of face paintings. Here, Aiden Chapman, 6, shows off his patriotic "tattoo" by Angel Boone. Photo by Elise Spleiss


CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Citrus Heights community members at the June 29 Stars and Stripes event celebrated the country’s independence, liberty, peace and freedom, according to City Manager Ash Feeney.

“This year was once again a terrific community event filled with great people, music, food, fireworks and fun,” Feeney said. “I am grateful to our city staff team who delivered this successful community event and to everyone that turned out to make this sparkling evening one to remember.”


Councilmember MariJane Lopez Taff takes a selfie with the audience. Photo courtesy of Regina Cave


Thousands of visitors, including hundreds of families and others from surrounding counties, attended the celebration at San Juan Park from 6 to 10 p.m. June 29.

It was another family-friendly event hosted by the city. Fortunately, pet owners heeded the city’s warning to leave their pets at home due to the heat and the stress of fireworks. In addition to dozens of water bottle tubs throughout the park, many large misting cooling stations were along walkways and in the Kids’ Zone, which were a crowd favorite. Despite temperatures nearing 100 degrees at the event’s beginning, it cooled down as dusk arrived to provide a comfortable atmosphere for music and fireworks viewing.


Moore Martial Arts of Citrus Heights showed many young visitors some self-defense moves. In the middle is owner Guy Kemp, with, from left, instructors Joe Needler, Arthur Bernal, Amir Bernal and Liberty Williams. Photo by Elise Spleiss


Music was a key to the event’s success. Pop Fiction played a wide array of popular music from the 1970s on, keeping the crowd of all ages, even babies, dancing and singing along right up to the patriotic music accompanying the fireworks. The fireworks began to the iconic spine-tingling “Star Wars Main Theme” and included “Proud to Be an American.”

Toward the beginning, as the “Star-Spangled Banner” began, nearly the entire audience rose with their hands over their hearts. It ended in thunderous applause.

General Services director Regina Cave spearheaded the event. Communications director Marissa Brown was the emcee. Mayor Bret Daniels and council members MariJane Lopez-Taff, Tim Schaefer and Porsche Middleton welcomed the audience.

Brothers Al and Alazon from Citrus Heights and AJ from Fair Oaks enjoy the cool breeze of one of the many cooling stations throughout the park. Photo by Elise Spleiss


A short trek across the park brought children and their parents to the kids’ zone sponsored by Sunrise Recreation and Parks District and the Citrus Heights Police Activity League (PAL). Citrus Heights service organizations and businesses provided information for parents and activities for the youth. Purple Pageant volunteers painted hundreds of children’s faces there.

This year, all parking lots from Greenback to the park were full. Visitors took the trek from the Dignity Medical Center and Citrus Heights Police Department to the park. Golf carts also shuttled visitors from one of many designated pick-up and drop-off locations.

Eleven food trucks were located across the way from where the band played, providing food, dessert and drinks during the event.

The fireworks show was created “by a highly-sought-after pyrotechnic firm” that has put on events for the Olympics and large sports events, according to Feeney.

Natalee Price, president of Area 10, SOAR and other neighborhood volunteers, handed out water and patriotic necklaces provided by the city.

“One thing Citrus Heights does right is their community engagement, excellent at bringing families and neighbors together,” Price said.