Fingers crossed: The City of Lawrence is planning to hold its Summerfest on July 3, complete with a drone show that never took off last year because of technical difficulties.
The city has a $30,000 credit for the drone show, and the company putting on the show “promised to make it bigger and better” because of what happened last year, Luis Ruiz, director of Parks, Recreation and Culture for the city, told Parks and Recreation Advisory Board members earlier this month.
The cost was $10,000 more than 2023’s traditional fireworks show, but the city opted to try a drone show instead following some outcry. Drones have become an increasingly popular alternative to fireworks for many municipalities as explosions can be triggering for war veterans, pets and others.
If all goes as planned, synchronized drones will fly intricate lighted patterns around the Douglas County Fairgrounds on the night of Thursday, July 3.
But Summerfest will kick off at 4 p.m. with kids’ activities in the outdoor pavilion and an artisan fair and live music in Building 21. Food truck and beer sales will begin at 5 p.m. in the main fairgrounds circle. Music on the main stage begins at 6 p.m., with Ric Averill serving as master of ceremonies.
The Lawrence City Band will perform starting at 9 p.m. in the outdoor arena. The drone show will begin after that in the same location. (The city’s website says the show will begin at 9:45 p.m., but its Facebook post says the show will start at 9:15 p.m. City spokespeople did not respond to an email seeking to clarify which time was correct.)
The event is free to attend.
Learn more, see complete lists of vendors, food trucks and musical performances, and check out a list of items that are and aren’t OK to bring with you on the city’s website at lawrenceks.org/lprd/summerfest.
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August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
