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Marin County Fair kicks off ahead of Fourth of July
Marin County Fair kicks off ahead of Fourth of July with fireworks every night at 9:30 p.m.
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - The Marin County Fair opened Wednesday for a five-day run, featuring a large screen for attendees to watch World Cup soccer day or night.
"We see families come for year and year here with their grandkids, grandparents, cousins and friends and it's a really wonderful event," said Libby Garrison of Marin County Cultural Services.
Nightly fireworks
Why you should care:
The ultimate Bay Area July 4 guide: fireworks, parades and more
Celebrating America’s 250th anniversary on this year’s Independence Day has the Bay Area buzzing with festivities, parades and, of course, fireworks. From the North Bay all the way down to the Peninsula, here at the events happening.
A key highlight of the festivities includes aerial fireworks every night at 9:30 p.m.
"It's fundamental. It closes the night every night. It's wonderful to see. Everyone stops and takes a minute to take it in together," said fair attendee James Bradshaw.
Officials note that professional fireworks displays are safer than consumer use, particularly for younger individuals.
"This gives them the Fourth of July that they look forward to and occupies their time in watching it instead of doing things that are maybe they shouldn't be getting into," said fair attendee Christina Bradshaw.
Safe and sane losing support
Big picture view:
So-called "safe and sane" fireworks are losing support across California due to widespread fire dangers. Alameda County is currently the last county to allow them in the Bay Area, though permitted locations continue to dwindle.
"We will have extra patrols out specifically for the Fourth of July and that's going to include enforcement for DUI and fireworks activity," said Sgt. Roberto Morales of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department.
Fire departments are also scaling up operations to mitigate risks.
"The goal of increasing our fire staffing is to make sure we have units available, placed in the right spots and ready to fight fire aggressively so that we can keep all fires small and contained," said Deputy Chief Ryan Ishimoto of the Alameda County Fire Department.
Division Chief Corey Rutherdglen of Alameda County Fire reiterated the risks, stating, "Fireworks last a few seconds; the consequences can last a lifetime. We ask everyone to celebrate safely, attend professional displays."
Nationwide data underscores these hazards.
Over the last three years, between 10,000 and 15,000 people annually required emergency room treatment for firework-related injuries.
Toddlers, children, adolescents, and young adults—65% of whom are male—suffer the majority of these injuries. Furthermore, fireworks have caused 34 deaths and between 18,000 and 34,000 fires annually over the last three years.
In contrast, professional exhibition companies operate under increasingly strict regulations.
"Our fireworks company that we've worked with for many, many years is an incredibly professional company, ironically the same company that doing the Golden Gate fireworks," Garrison said.
Local enforcement is adapting to crack down on illegal usage. The fireworks-free Petaluma Police Department announced it will utilize drone technology to locate violators.
The Source: Marin County Fair guests, police and fire agencies in Alameda County, Petaluma