As America celebrates its 250th birthday, local residents and visitors from neighboring cities trickled into Valencia Town Center to prepare for the city of Santa Clarita Fourth of July Fireworks Show — a community favorite to mark Independence Day.
To many, this is a yearly custom, but to others, this is a new start of celebration as America marks a major milestone.
This is especially true for Emily and Ryan Tomimitsu, along with their 9-month-old daughter, who moved to Valencia less than a year ago.
“This is our first Fourth of July in Santa Clarita, and it feels like the start of the traditions we’re going to build for our daughter. I’ve already made some great friends here, so we’re spending some time with them. I love that she’ll get to grow up watching the parade and the fireworks right in our own town instead of us driving somewhere else for it,” Emily said.
“I agree. Growing up, the Fourth always meant a barbecue at home and then heading out to watch the fireworks show as a family. I want that same thing for our daughter, except now she gets to do it in her own hometown, with the parade right down the street, too. That’s what I’m looking forward to most,” Ryan added.
Setting up for the night festivities, and ensuring that their daughter was as comfortable as possible with ear muffs and her set bed time, the Tomimitsus are still looking forward to what the next few years entail:
“This is our first Fourth of July since moving to Santa Clarita, so we’re excited to check out the fireworks show. It feels like a fun way to celebrate our first summer here,” Emily said.
“I’m looking forward to sharing the holiday with our daughter. She may not remember her first Fourth of July, but we’ll remember getting to celebrate it together as a family,” Ryan added.
Austin Dye and Gael Arce, along with their group of friends, were looking forward to enjoying the rest of the night with their friends.
Dye, who moved to California only a year and a half ago and currently lives in Sherman Oaks, is looking forward to making new traditions in California — including playing “Magic: The Gathering” with friends near the mall.
“I look forward to more beachwalks. I love any hobby that gets me up and going from technological devices. All of the group of people that I’m with today here for the Fourth of July, they pretty much all play ‘Magic: The Gathering,’ so I’m looking forward to that,” Dye said. “I’m looking to make new friends, and taking time away from the five days a week. Having new things to do other than ‘nerd cardboard.’ Even seeing mall culture this vibrant is a good sign. That’s honestly not the way it is everywhere else in the country right now. It’s nice to see people actually out and enjoying the day at a little outlet like this. It’s very cool.”
Dye is still adjusting to California culture — including the prohibited use of fireworks within Santa Clarita city limits, as well as other Los Angeles County cities.
“Fireworks are one of the weirdest cultural shifts, because of the fire hazards around here. There’s no place to grab personal fireworks, because you can’t set them off yourself. You have to go to places where they’re having shows for fireworks, like this one,” Dye said. “This isn’t my first fireworks show, I’m just used to being from the East Coast. We used to set mini fireworks up in the garage and have a little fireworks show outside of our house. You can’t do that here — the climate’s too dry, and there are too many fire hazard risks.”
Unlike Dye, Arce was born and raised in Santa Clarita, and would come to the Valencia Town Center with his family growing up.
“My family would come here a lot, but we mostly celebrate at home instead now, usually with small sparklers or even cookouts when we invite our neighbors. Within the past few years, when we would come out here, we used to make our own food ahead of time. If not, we usually just enjoy the firework show whenever we can. I’m excited to have the day off, because I usually go to work today. I’m excited to spend time with my friends.”
