Fourth of July Parades, Fireworks Shows Planned Countywide This Week

By City News Service, image via Shutterstock

Parades and fireworks celebrating America’s 239th birthday are planned throughout Riverside County this week.

Pre-Independence Day fireworks spectaculars are scheduled Thursday and Friday in Indio, Jurupa Valley and San Jacinto.

Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio will host a fireworks show at 9 p.m. Thursday, and on Friday, the Jurupa Area Recreation & Parks District will host a community meet-and-greet at 4 p.m., featuring outdoor entertainment and a pyrotechnic show at 9 p.m. The Soboba Casino in San Jacinto is also planning a fireworks event at 9 p.m.

Independence Day parades will be held Saturday in Corona, Moreno Valley, San Jacinto and Temecula.

The Corona “Main Street U.S.A Parade” will begin at 10 a.m. at Ontario and Main streets, featuring law enforcement units, fire engines, marching bands, military hardware and show animals. The procession will travel about a mile, winding up at Olive and Main streets around noon.

Moreno Valley’s “Sights and Sounds of Liberty Parade” will get underway at 9:30 a.m. at Alessandro Boulevard and Frederick Street, concluding about two hours later at Towngate Avenue. The celebration will continue at 2 p.m. in Morrison Park, near the intersection of Dracaea Avenue and Morrison Street, where a “Family FunFest” is planned, complete with several rock bands, a beer garden and kids’ games.

The city of San Jacinto’s annual “Fourth of July Hometown Parade” will start at 9 a.m. at the San Jacinto Unified School District Office, 2045 San Jacinto Ave. Tractors, classic cars, motorcyclists and members from each military branch will participate, traveling about seven blocks along San Jacinto, with a finale at Valley Wide Regional Park, 901 W. Esplanade Ave.

Temecula’s “Heartfelt Star-Spangled Parade” will begin at 10 a.m. on Old Town Front Street at Second Street. Expected participants include the Temecula Valley Mounted Posse, local chapters of Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, the Riverside County Fire Department and the Boy Scouts of America.

Beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday, fireworks shows will be held at the following locations:

-- Beaumont, Stewart Park, Ninth Street and Orange Avenue;

-- Blythe, Colorado River Fairgrounds, 591 N. Olive Blvd.;

-- Canyon Lake, Skipper’s Island, 22-200 Canyon Club Drive;

-- Corona, Santana Park, 598 Santana Way;

-- Lake Elsinore, off the levee, Lakeshore Drive;

-- Moreno Valley, Morrison Park, Dracaea Avenue and Morrison Street;

-- Palm Desert, Civic Center Park, Fred Waring Drive and San Pablo Avenue;

-- Palm Springs Stadium, 1901 E. Baristo Road;

-- Perris, Lake Perris State Recreation Area, 18700 Lake Perris Drive;

-- Rancho Mirage, Agua Caliente Casino, Resort & Spa, 32-250 Bob Hope Drive;

-- Riverside, Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery, 14th and Pine streets;

-- Riverside, La Sierra Park, 5215 La Sierra Ave.;

-- Riverside, Mt. Rubidoux Park, 4706 Mt. Rubidoux St.;

-- San Jacinto, Valley Wide Park, 901 W. Esplanade Ave.;

-- Temecula, Pechanga Resort & Casino, 45000 Pechanga Parkway; and

-- Temecula, Ronald Reagan Sports Park, 30875 Rancho Vista Road.

In Riverside County, private parties are prohibited from using fireworks except in Blythe, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs and Indio, where so-called “safe and sane” fireworks can be sold to the public.

The devices, which must meet state fire marshal certification, are mostly pyrotechnics that do not explode or fly, including sparklers, ground spinners, fountains, snappers and caps. Municipalities can authorize fireworks demonstrations, and the county grants permits for fireworks shows in unincorporated communities.

Under county Ordinance 858, fines for illegally storing, transporting or setting off fireworks can range from $500 to $1,000. A violation is a misdemeanor.

According to county fire officials, any person who triggers a brush fire due to the illegal use of fireworks will be held responsible for all suppression costs.