It canceled beloved fireworks show — but SLO County town still has big Fourth of July plans

Organizers and volunteers for Cambria’s off-again, on-again Fourth of July celebration are gearing up for a big, traditional Independence Day event — minus the fireworks.

Their plans have changed several times, with the final iteration coming in response to community outcry after the group announced in May it would not be holding its annual fireworks show because beach erosion has reduced the launch area to the point it’s no longer safe.

Originally, American Legion Post No. 432 leaders had called off the entire event at the park, scheduling a much smaller event at the downtown Legion hall.

Then dozens of mourning community members took to social media and email to express their dismay and disappointment.

Legion leaders responded a week or so later with e-blasts and postings to say, “We heard you!”

They launched the fireworks-less event with as many of the traditional offerings as possible.

What will happen during revised Fourth of July picnic event?

So what does this group have planned for this year?

This year’s festivities will once again take place at Shamel Park at 5455 Windsor Boulevard.

Following the opening ceremonies, the event will pack the park until 5 p.m., according to information provided by the Legion Post.

The Legion Post said the schedule should allow “time for families to travel to see fireworks displays” in other San Luis Obispo County communities, such as Cayucos, Pismo Beach and Paso Robles.

A trolley service will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., from North Moonstone Beach Drive to Main Street to East Village, with a turnaround at the Cambria Dog Park, located at 2021 Rodeo Grounds Road.

Attendees were urged to dress for variable coastal weather, as it can be sunny and mildly warm during the day but chilly at night.

The event will include music, food — including an all-day barbecue of tri-tip sandwiches, sirloin burgers, veggie burgers and hot dogs; corn on the cob; pie slices; ice cream sundaes; and more — beer, wine, soda, water and lots of activities.

Those activities include a Lions Club bounce house and face painting. There will also be kids’ games from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by the famous waiter-waitress race and the Linn’s pie-eating contest.

The Spanky Paul Band will play from 3 to 5 p.m., and there will be a dance floor.

Volunteers lining up for Cambria Fourth of July event, but more needed

By midday Monday, dozens of volunteers already had heeded the Post’s call for help, signing up for 2.5-hour shifts for chores as varied as manning the grills, handling security and parking and booths for food, information and merchandise sales.

There are still some open slots in the official lineup, and volunteers can log onto the group’s 4th of July Signup to register to help.

Other helpers and contestants will participate in events not being handled by the Legion, such as the independently managed pie eating contest and waiter-waitress race, according to volunteer coordinator Cindy Pierson.

Why was the fireworks show canceled?

The county beach site used for decades for the fireworks launch area is no longer viable for that because after the 2022-23 winter storms, there wasn’t enough of a safety buffer on the erosion-diminished stretch of sandy beach.

This winter’s storms further narrowed an alternate site that the Legion’s fireworks provider used last year, making that location also unsuitable now.

The Moonstone Beach area beyond it is a state nature preserve and other State Park land, most of which is off limits for fireworks, though there was some potential it could be used in the future.

Legion Post officials said they’re hoping to get a state permit to use the latter in 2025 and beyond, but that requires some extensive studies that couldn’t be completed and ruled on in time for this year’s event.