This Saturday is not just another Fourth of July. It is the semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and Redlands is ready for it the way only Redlands can be.

For the 59th year in a row, our city will spend the whole day celebrating together, starting with a full morning at Sylvan Park, a parade rounding the park at 10:30, live music and food vendors through the afternoon, and a fireworks show over Moore Middle School that draws families from across the Inland Empire.

Here is the part most people do not know. The city does not run this event. Volunteers do. The Redlands Fourth of July Committee is a nonprofit powered by neighbors and funded by donations, ticket sales, and t-shirts, and even the fireworks are in family hands, with Pyro Spectaculars run that night by Redlands' own Jeff Martin.

Fifty-nine straight years of ordinary people deciding this town deserves an extraordinary Fourth. If you want to know what 250 years of America actually looks like, it looks like that.

And the celebration starts a night early. On Friday, the Redlands Bowl's Star-Spangled Evening of Patriotic Pops features the Festival Orchestra and Inland Master Chorale under Maestro Nolan Livesay, plus the world premiere of a piece of music commissioned to honor our Lincoln Memorial Shrine, the only museum west of the Mississippi dedicated to Lincoln.

A brand new work, written for Redlands, debuting free of charge in the year our country turns 250. Full weekend details are in the event cards below. More at redlandsfourthofjuly.com.

If you have driven past Orange and State recently, you have seen it with your own eyes. The Redlands Mall, closed since 2010 after opening its doors back in 1977, is finally being taken apart piece by piece. Demolition crews have been at work since mid-March, and this week the progress became impossible to miss.

Here is why it matters. The 12-acre site was purchased late last year by Town Square Development, owned by Redlands' own Jack Dangermond, and the long-term vision points toward a walkable district of housing, restaurants, shops, and public gathering space designed to extend our historic downtown rather than compete with it. After 16 years of watching that building sit empty in the middle of the city we love, seeing cranes and crews at work feels like turning a page.

Downtown business owners are watching with cautious optimism, and so am I. More neighbors living, eating, and shopping steps from State Street is good news for every local business we cheer for in this newsletter. Read more at City News Group.

The Bowl's 103rd Season Rolls On. Free concerts continue Tuesdays and Fridays through August 14 at 25 Grant St. Circle July 23 through 26 on your calendar right now, because Disney's Frozen takes the Bowl stage those nights and the lawn is going to fill up fast.

America's 250th, Redlands Style. Want to give the kids some real history this weekend? The Lincoln Memorial Shrine behind the A.K. Smiley Public Library at 125 W. Vine St. is the only museum west of the Mississippi dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, and admission is free. Check lincolnshrine.org for holiday hours before you go.

Keep the Fur Babies Safe Saturday Night. Bruno does not love fireworks, and your pets probably do not either. Keep them indoors Saturday evening, double-check that ID tags are current, and leave the pyrotechnics to the professionals, since all personal fireworks remain illegal inside Redlands city limits.

One quick note: it is a holiday weekend, so give each venue's Instagram a fast check before heading out, since schedules can shift on the Fourth.

Septembers Taproom & Eatery – Live Music, check their Instagram for this week's band
📍 515 Orange St, Suite B, Redlands, CA | 🕐 8:30 PM
Friday nights here are loud in the best way, with a big room, a bigger patio, and a full band.

Tartan of Redlands – Live Music, check their Instagram for this week's performer
📍 24 E Redlands Blvd, Redlands, CA | 🕐 Dinner hours, reservations recommended
The Cheers of Redlands since 1964, where dinner and live music share the same table.

The Three Stags Irish Pub – Live Music, check their Instagram for this week's performer
📍 328 Orange St, Redlands, CA | 🕐 8:00 PM
Grab a pint and settle in before the big day.

Ritual Brewing Co. – Live Music, check their Instagram for this week's performer and holiday hours
📍 1315 Research Dr, Redlands, CA | 🕐 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Dog friendly, kid friendly, and the perfect pre-fireworks pint if you are heading to Moore after.

Hangar 24 Craft Brewery – Sunday afternoon live music, check their Instagram for the lineup
📍 1710 Sessums Dr, Redlands, CA | 🕐 12:00 PM
Recovery day done right: a cold one, live tunes, and planes taxiing next door.

The Three Stags Irish Pub – Sunday session, check their Instagram for the performer
📍 328 Orange St, Redlands, CA | 🕐 4:00 PM
The gentlest possible landing for a big weekend.

Liz and I will be a continent away Saturday night, but when the sky lights up over Moore Middle School, know that we are thinking of home.

If you do one thing this weekend, make it the 10:30 parade at Sylvan Park.

Put the phone down, wave at your neighbors, and let your kids see what 250 years of this country looks like at street level.

Happy 250th, America. And to every veteran and service member reading this, including our girl in Coast Guard blue, thank you.

See you around town,
— Carlos Samaniego, EA
 RedlandsNow.com