Future funding plans will be discussed so the 4th of July fireworks celebration can again become an annual event.Families brought picnics and their blankets to Harding Park where the Santa Paula Police and Fire departments had Command Units at the ready for crowd control and in case of fireworks emergency.There were numerous reports of people setting off fireworks illegally in the city, including one group that had ground displays in the Depot parking lot dangerously close to The Mill, Ventura County’s oldest existing business, now devoted to antiques and collectibles.Illegal fireworks were still being setoff within city limits over the sweltering holiday weekend that passed without major incident other than a devastating fire that destroyed a Larkspur home and injured the owner.
4th of July: Spectacular fireworks display lights up the sky over SP
July 09, 2003
Santa Paula News
The 4th of July brought a spectacular display of fireworks over Santa Paula on Friday, a burst of color and patriotism celebrating Independence Day visible throughout the city.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe 4th of July brought a spectacular display of fireworks over Santa Paula on Friday, a burst of color and patriotism celebrating Independence Day visible throughout the city.The fireworks program at Harding Park was the first pyrotechnic display since 2000, and thousands of residents flocked to the park to watch the show, which began just minutes after 9 p.m. Others sat on patios, porches, drove into the hillsides and jammed the Santa Paula Memorial Hospital parking lot for prime views. The smell of barbecue blanketed the city as families stayed home to enjoy the celebration.The Santa Paula City Council approved the $10,000 in leftover budget funds for the fireworks show and asked for donations to help offset the cost.For years, the Mexican-American Chamber of Commerce sponsored the pyrotechnic display but other organizations that tried to emulate the project were unable to sustain the funding.
