The city of Woodland’s annual Independence Day fireworks show is slated for Thursday, July 3, celebrating the United States’ 249th year. The fireworks show is a part of a two-day celebration put on by the city to commemorate the holiday, which also will include various activities and live entertainment.

Gates will open at 7 p.m. Saturday, with the fireworks set to start around 9:15 p.m. The celebration kicks off at Woodland High School Stadium with an evening of entertainment including:

Pre-show activities featuring inflatables and Rec2Go games

Food from Las Brasas and Sno Shack

An Honor Guard ceremony conducted by the American Legion Yolo Post 77 and the National Anthem sung by Yolo County 2024 Vocal Showcase winner Katherine Berdovskiy.

Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs to sit on the grass during the fireworks show. For more information, go to the city website at https://www.cityofwoodland.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=946.

Updated fireworks ordinance

Folks who opt out of the city’s fireworks show for their own should be aware of newly implemented fines for fireworks violations.

Fines have been increased from $100.00 for the first violation, $200.00 for the second, $500.00 for the third, and up to $1,000.00 or imprisonment for the fourth and subsequent violation within one year, to the proposed change of $1,000 fine per violation.

Woodland Fire Chief Eric Zane attended the City Council’s Tuesday, April 2 meeting to discuss the revisions, explaining that language in the ordinance had not been updated since 1989. He and the fire department conducted research into what other jurisdictions were doing in response to illegal fireworks use and found that fining people per occurrence was not a deterrent.

“So now it is per device,” Zane explained. “So either in possession of, if we witness someone letting off illegal fireworks, it’s going to be $1,000 per device. So five devices over an hour period, that’s going to be a $5,000 fine and it can go up from there.”

Over the last few years, the county has seen an increase in fireworks-related ordinance violations, as well as structure fires resulting from the use of illegal fireworks.

In 2022, two separate fires occurred over the Fourth of July weekend, one on the 900 block of Bourn Drive and the other on the 800 block of Colby Court.

The first fire and response from the Woodland Fire Department happened at around 5 p.m. on July 4, on Bourn Drive, according to a WFD Facebook post. WFD crews responded to this fully involved home on fire, quickly searched the house for victims, and extinguished the fire.

“Safe” fireworks are currently only permitted to be sold beginning at noon on June 28 until noon on July 6. The ordinance will reduce this period so that sales end at 11 p.m. on July 4. However, usage of these fireworks would be allowed beginning at 7 a.m. June 28 and ending 11 p.m. July 5, which Zane explained is because of people who might want to use fireworks the following day if the holiday falls on or before a weekend.

Usage of fireworks outside of this permitted timeframe will constitute a violation of the ordinance and will be subject to fines.