CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) – While it wasn’t the Fourth of July, the holiday spirit was in the air as hundreds of rambunctious youngsters gathered for the third annual Citrus Heights Stars and Stripes celebration on June 28 at Van Maren Park, 6601 Thalia Way.

Attendees were running, dancing, doing cartwheels and comparing talents on the park’s green grass. Many of the children spent time in front of the stage, anxiously waiting for the live music to start.

Countless food trucks provided visitors with delicious food and beverage options, and the Kid Zone, hosted by Sunrise Recreation and Park District and the Citrus Heights Police Activities League (PAL), engaged residents with giveaways, goodies, crafts and face painting.

The free, family-friendly event finished at 10 p.m. with the culmination of fireworks.

The San Francisco area band, Mercy and the Heartbeats, performed popular hits from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. The audience, an exuberant collection of all ages, spent the entire evening dancing to the music.

Despite the official 6 p.m. start time, families began to claim their space to relax by 5 p.m. Van Maren Park offered four-plus acres to relax on the green and set up camp for a night of enjoyment.

“As I look out, I see all the great things Citrus Heights is doing,” said Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa as she greeted attendees. “You are here because the founding fathers fought for freedom for this country, and so here we are celebrating a very big Fourth. Keep our founding fathers in mind.”

As the night began to take off, Vice-Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff called for Citrus Heights residents to cheer and to be part of a large panoramic selfie for the event.

“Your applause goes to our city staff who has worked to put this event together,” Karpinski-Costa said. “It looks easy but isn’t. General Services staff, the police department, and all the community volunteers working hard before, during and after the event are who made this happen.”

General Services Director Regina Cave spearheaded the event, having worked on the tree decorations. Communications Director Marissa Brown was emcee for the evening.

Families and children followed balloons to the Kid Zone where multiple tables invited creativity and learning with interactive crafts. Also in the Kids Zone, volunteers with the Purple Pageant dedicated their time to face painting.

Dozens of tubs filled with water bottles were scattered throughout the park, in addition to the various mist cooling stations placed along walkways to provide attendees with coolness in the heat. John Kane, a longtime Stars and Stripes volunteer, is well known for his extra cold bottles of water.

“It was great to see our community come together in celebration at Stars and Stripes,” City Manager Ash Feeney said. “Attendees enjoyed a night of live music, dancing, family activities and a spectacular fireworks show. I appreciate the tremendous effort city staff put into delivering this first rate event and all those that came to enjoy time together as a community.”

Citrus Heights Stars and Stripes couldn’t have been made possible without its sponsors. Republic Services served as the Stage Sponsor. The Kids Zone was hosted by the Citrus Heights Police Activities League (PAL) and Sunrise Recreation and Park District.

District Festival Sponsors included Sunrise Marketplace, Biondi Paving & Engineering, Stone's, Gambling Hall, UniFirst and Arrow Construction.

Community Sponsors were West Coast Arborists and AIRCO Mechanical Inc.

The Keep Em Cool Sponsor was Restoration Management Company.

Trade Sponsors included HERC Rentals, Republic Services, Arrow Construction and West Coast Arborists Inc.

For more information on the third annual Citrus Heights Stars and Stripes celebration, visit www.citrusheights.net/1338/Stars-Stripes-Celebration or call 916-725-2448.