Celebrate the Fourth of July in Bishop

Swimming, food, family fun and fireworks scheduled for all-day event in the City Park

It’s time to light up the Eastern Sierra sky in celebration of Independence Day in Bishop. This year the Fourth of July party will once again take place in the Bishop City Park. Everyone is invited to come enjoy the city park with festivities scheduled throughout the day. Bring a picnic blanket and lawn chairs to set up in the baseball fields for the fireworks show, and be sure to bring a radio or download a radio app on any smart phone to tune in to KIBS 100.7 FM for synchronized music with the fireworks. KIBS’s livestream can also be found on their website, kibskbov.com.

Please note there will be no personal fireworks, dogs, or personal alcohol allowed in the city park during the event, however lawn games, picnic blankets, and family fun are encouraged.

Stop by the Inyo Council for the Arts booth for a temporary tattoo, or say hello to the Bishop Fire Department at the Pavilion for a patriotic glow stick. There will be displays and food vendors available at the back of the park from noon till sundown.

For the latest schedule and information, visit the event website, 4thinthepark.com.

Schedule of Events
Noon – Vendors Open – Back of the Park. Open until around 7:30 p.m.
1 p.m. – Bishop City Council Big Day in the Park – Middle of the Park
1-4 p.m. – Free Public Swim Day at the Park Pool
3:30 p.m. – Bishop Grocery Outlet Watermelon Eating Contest – Pavilion
4:30 p.m. – Live Music; Carbe and Durand from Incendio – Hillside Stage
5:30 p.m. – Star Spangled Bike and Scooter Decorating Contest – Pavilion
6:15 p.m. – Live Music; Bishop Jazz Combo – Hillside Stage
After 9 p.m. – Bishop Fire Department Fireworks Spectacular – Be sure to tune in to KIBS, 100.7 FM

Big Day in the Park

The Bishop City Council’s tradition of 13 years continues with Big Day in the Park. There will be free public swimming in the park pool from 1-4 p.m. The city council will serve free pie, ice cream and watermelon in the middle of the park between the pool at skate park, from 1 p.m. until its gone. Everyone is invited to come say hello to their city council members and enjoy some free summertime treats.

Watermelon Eating Contest
At 3:30 p.m. Grocery Outlet of Bishop will host the highlight competition of the summer to determine who can eat watermelon the fastest in three different age categories. There will be prizes. The contest will take place under the Grocery Outlet Easy-up beside the pavilion at the back of the city park. Participants or their parent/guardians will need to sign a waiver prior to the contest.

Live Music – Carbe and Durand From Incendio and Bishop Jazz Combo
The Inyo Council for the Arts will once again host live music in the city park prior to the fireworks show with Carbe and Durand from the band Incendio, and the Bishop Jazz Combo. These two bands will perform in the back of the park, near the hill east of the pond. Carbe and Durand will begin at 4:30 p.m. Bishop Jazz Combo will begin at 6:15. The Inyo Council for the Arts also will have stick-on tattoos and pinwheels for the kids at their booth near the pavilion.

In addition to the live music, there will be vendors in the back of the city park throughout the day. Opening at noon, several local food vendors be cooking up a variety of delicious foods and drinks. Some retail vendors will be in the park as well, selling hand-crafted items and clothing, home-grown eggs and produce.

Star-Spangled Bike and Scooter Pageant and Decorating Contest
The Fourth of July festivities in Bishop this year will feature a bike and scooter pageant with prizes for those who participate. Children and adults alike are invited to participate and decorate their favorite wheels. There will be a decorating contest with prizes for the most decorated, Star Spangled, and most patriotic in three age categories. Anyone who would like to decorate their bike or scooter and participate or their parents/guardians may sign a waiver at the registration table, which will be located near the pavilion prior to 5:15 p.m. The bikes and scooters will be cruising through the park at 5:30 p.m.

Bishop Fire Department Fireworks Spectacular

Shortly after 9 p.m., tune in to KIBS, 100.7 FM and look to the sky for the Bishop Fire Department’s Fireworks Spectacular, which will be launched from the east side of the Bishop City Park. The public is invited to watch from the city park, the baseball fields or watch from home in the downtown Bishop area. The fire department works with the world-famous Pyro Spectaculars by Souza, which is the same company that puts together famous fireworks shows like the Macy’s Celebration in New York City, and the Mount Rushmore, and Washington DC fireworks shows. There will be plenty of “pattern” shells, with hearts, happy faces, Saturn rings and geometric shapes, as well as spectacular shells that climb well over 600 feet in the air. The grand finale will launch more than 900 shells in less than 35 seconds.

The 4 th in the Park festivities this year are sponsored by the City of Bishop, Inyo County, Wanaaha Casino, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Inyo Council for the Arts, 711 Materials, Coso Operating Company, and the Bishop Fire Department, with support from the Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tri-County Fairgrounds.