COVER STORY
Where to watch the fireworks BY BRITTANY HERSH
A
lthough many cities across the country have cancelled Fourth of July fireworks displays this year because of budget woes, the festive celebrations in the sky are very much alive in the Bay Area, including here in the Tri-Valley. In a pre-Fourth display, the Alameda County Fair will set off an array of dazzling fireworks starting at dusk tonight at the racetrack. The best seats are in the fairgrounds grandstands but each year hundreds enjoy the show from outside the fair fence on Rose Avenue and from the higher elevations on Bernal Avenue and Vintage Hills. Other fireworks displays are planned in:
Livermore The 27th annual 4th of July Celebration at Robertson Park will be from 3-10 p.m. The cost is $5 per walk-in over age 10 and $20 per car. The festival features live music, carnival area, petting zoo, pony rides and a hat making booth. The fireworks show starts at 9:35 p.m. and the pedestrian gate closes at 9:15 p.m.
PHOTOS BY JEB BING AND GLENN WOHLTMANN
As riders swing on one of the fair’s main attractions (above) Robert Bell watches a hypnotist show as two-year-old daughter Scarlett eats ice cream to cool down at the Alameda County Fair, on a day when temperatures topped 100 degrees. Below right, 10-year-old Tage Lindig hangs on for dear life during a Mutton Bustin’ competition at the fair. The goal of the rodeo-style event is to ride the sheep for six seconds or more.
San Ramon The city’s Red, White and Blue Picnic and Fireworks event will be from 1-10 p.m. at San Ramon Central Park. There will be a kid’s area with rides, games and inflatable features and a DJ from KKIQ 101.7. Parking is $10 per car and the fireworks show starts at 9:30 p.m. Berkeley The Berkeley Marina will feature live music and entertainment, arts and crafts, free sailboat rides, and a kid’s area from noon-10 p.m. on the 4th of July. At 9:30 p.m. the fireworks show starts at the end of the Berkeley Pier. San Francisco PIER 39 will be full of activity from 3-9:30 p.m. this 4th of July with street performers and live music. The City of San Francisco’s fireworks display will start at 9:30 p.m. over the Bay. USS Hornet The USS Hornet is throwing a 4th of July celebration complete with live music, games, ship tours and fireworks from 1-9 p.m. The cost is $10 for youth ages 5-17, $20 for adults ($25 at the door) and free for museum members. Parking is free and the fireworks start at 9:30 p.m. N
Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊJuly 2, 2010ÊU Page 11