After a decade-long hiatus, fireworks will once again light up Mission Bay this Fourth of July weekend.
“I’m excited, said Audrey, a mission bay resident. “My mom had told me how she used to watch them when she was my age and I think it'll just be a full-circle moment.”
“We are so excited,” said Christy Wile, mission bay resident. “She's been talking about the fireworks for weeks now.”
For nearly 30 years, residents in the area would gather on nearby beaches to watch the fireworks, but in 2012 the show went dark.
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“It’s one of those things that was a long-time tradition for the Yacht Club to put on the fireworks and we had to stop it because it just got too expensive for our budget,” said Kathy Dryden, Yacht Club rear commodore. “For 10 years it's been a little lonely here on the Fourth of July.”
Fourth of July Events in San Diego
So this year Dryden made it her mission to bring it back.
“It means a lot because families and friends and everybody comes down and hangs out for the day and waits for the fireworks,” said Dryden.
She says the show costs at least $60,000 to put on. Dryden initially went to the board for help but they only approved $20,000 so she turned to the community for help. She created a GoFundMe page and the response was overwhelming.
“Immediately people that just live in the community just donating which was really heartwarming,” said Dryden.
Not only did residents come forward, but so did hotels and nearby businesses.
“As soon as I saw Kathy posted about the fundraiser we shared it with everyone we knew,” said Wile.
The GoFundMe page raised over $48,000. With the necessary funds, the show was back on, giving San Diego residents one more reason to celebrate this holiday weekend.
The Mission Bay show will be held Sunday, July 3rd, at 9 p.m. Organizers say they wanted to make sure the community was able to attend multiple shows this weekend.
