A VIRTUAL SALUTE TO THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE IN ELK GROVE, CA

By Jodie Moreno

In Elk Grove, Ca, we like to dream big! Nestled 12 miles outside of Sacramento with a population of over 180,000 people, Elk Grove prides itself on community involvement through our programs, our services and our events. When COVID hit, just like every other event planner, my heart sank. Elk Grove was actually one of the first cities in Northern California to cancel an event in January due to the health scare, which resulted in a lot of negative feedback, but it was the right thing to do. We immediately started looking forward to determine a long-range plan for our upcoming event season to find ways we could still deliver an event-like experience to our residents.

One of our biggest events is Elk Grove’s Salute to the Red, White and Blue on July 4th. How could we celebrate our nation and our city, sans the 22,000 plus folks that typically come out to the park to enjoy the show? How could we offer folks that had been stuck inside with no entertainment avenues, a way to celebrate the 4th and comply with County and State guidelines? We were determined to find a way and pitched 3 different scenarios to our City Manager and Council. Thank goodness for one of the most supportive teams around that not only loved our ideas, but encouraged us to go big!

Working with the local ABC television station and a local radio conglomerate, we ventured out to secure a partnership that would allow us to broadcast our fireworks show LIVE, not only to the Elk Grove/ Sacramento area, but to all of our neighboring cities to the North, South, East and West within the broadcast market! Plus, we simulcasted the soundtrack on our radio partner’s station making for a double whammy where anyone could watch, listen and enjoy the show. Our marketing consisted of encouraging residents to celebrate in place, going so far as to move the shoot location from the Park where it had been held for years to a secret undisclosed location that was more central to town to avoid gathering and allow residents to step outside their home and look the skies!

The end result was fantastic! We had a live shot at 5 p.m. from City Hall teasing the “Sky Concert” later in the evening, still never giving away the whereabouts. Then that night, with more logistics than usual to keep the location a secret, we pulled it off and had a 4-camera live broadcast of the skies above Elk Grove from our brand-new Aquatics and Community Center, giving us a chance to highlight our facility, celebrate with residents and shoot off those beloved fireworks!!! Elk Grove definitely went out with a bang on this one!

Jodie Moreno is the Community Events and Special Projects Coordinator at the City Manager’s Office for the City of Elk Grove in Elk Grove, CA. For more information on the City of Elk Grove, go to: elkgrovecity.org

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