Chino Valley celebration begins at 5 p.m.; fireworks go off at dark

EDITOR'S NOTE: To read about what's happening in Prescott on July 4, click here. For Prescott Valley, click here.

Fireworks are expected for the Fourth of July in Chino Valley this year unless there are heavy winds that won’t die down by the time they’re set to go off, said Chino Valley Mayor Darryl Croft at the Tuesday, June 25, Chino Valley Town Council Meeting.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Croft said. “The show goes on. Come out and have some fun.”

Chino Valley hasn’t seen a Fourth of July fireworks display for the last couple of years thanks to drought conditions and fire restrictions, said Community Services Director Scott Bruner. A few weeks ago though, several officials got together to make sure everyone involved was on the same page including Croft, Councilman Lon Turner, two fire marshals, two Chino Valley police officers, the land owner and a representative of the Fireworks Productions of Arizona, Bruner said.

Turner walked the entirety of the shooting site, at the corner lot of Road 1 East and Perkinsville Road, and said he was satisfied with what he saw.

“We’ve got at least three times the amount of fallout area to the northeast that would accommodate our southwest winds,” Turner said. “We’ve got plenty of clear space, the fire marshals seem to be happy with everything. The pyrotechnic that does the fireworks seem to be very happy. Barring 30, 40-mile-per hour winds, we should have a good Fourth of July.”

The Thursday, July 4, celebration at the Chino Valley Community Center Ball Fields, 1527 N. Road 1 East, will have food trucks, live music by Alter Ego, a beer garden, games, water slides, six bounce houses, free admission to the Chino Valley Aquatic Center and, of course, the fireworks display. The event begins at 5 p.m. and the fireworks start at dark.

Kid-Zone wrist bands are $5 each, available in the Aquatic Center.

Admission and parking to the event are free. General parking is located off Road 1 East between the Community Center and Territorial Early Childhood Center, with designated parking for those in need of ADA-accessible parking or who have a designated placard or license plate markings for accessible parking.