July 5, 2023 710 PM
PRESIDIO — On Sunday night, the Presidio Convention and Visitors Bureau threw a successful red, white and blue bash to celebrate the Fourth of July. Dozens of families showed up to Daly Park for a fun evening of tasty food, dancing and fireworks.
Presidio Volunteer Fire Department Chief Saul Pardo said that the evening’s celebrations went off without a hitch. His department set aside a segment of dirt lot adjacent to the park for folks to set off their own fireworks — with the full crew and their engine keeping a watchful eye a few hundred yards away. “We had no fires, no incidents, no nothing — this year was really good,” he said.
For years, the Presidio VFD has been responsible for setting up the city’s major firework display. This year’s sparks were provided by Ariel Lara and his family for the whole community to enjoy. The department took some pictures that were a hit on social media. “We’ve been getting really good feedback,” he said.
Vendors lined up along the block offering their wares to hungry partygoers. La Goldita, A La Carrera, Gorditos Sotelo, Butch’s BBQ and more made it difficult to decide which dinner to choose. Local band Zauna kicked off the evening with infectious live music.
One of the more unconventional stands was run by the Big Bend Conservation Alliance, offering lettuce grown by elementary school students in their hydroponic garden. Rival stand Project Homeleaf offered fresh watermelons courtesy of United Farms and succulent propagations grown in their downtown planters.
Succulent propagations are succulents grown from pieces of other succulents — the pads of the hardy desert-dwellers can be carefully cut and planted in new soil. Last year, the group spruced up O’Reilly Street with a line of rock planters stocked with native plants; this year’s propagations were taken from those pioneering plants.
Project Homeleaf’s Laisa Arevalo said she felt the propagation project was symbolic. “It’s about giving a piece of the community back to the community,” she said.
