There are only two months left until Independence Day and the Albemarle Board of Supervisors will soon be asked to grant a special use permit for a new location for Crozet’s celebration.
“King Family Vineyards would like to host the Crozet Independence Celebration, which would be run by the Crozet Community Association in conjunction with the Crozet Board of Trade,” reads the application for the permit.
Special use permits and rezonings in Albemarle require a community meeting and the county’s community advisory committees often serve as the forum for those events. On Wednesday, the Crozet CAC will meet at Crozet Library beginning at 7 p.m.
For years, the event was held at Claudius Crozet Park but was canceled in 2020 due to COVID. Fireworks resumed the following year, but were canceled in 2022 for a variety of reasons as explained by Lisa Martin in an October 2022 Crozet Gazette article. One reason is that additional development has reduced the size of the debris field required to pass muster with the fire marshal’s office.
The narrative states that the parade and the fireworks display are an important time for Crozet and the only time each year the entire community can gather.
“It is a wonderful event that brings people together, both young and old alike,” the application continues. “Most importantly, it is an opportunity for people who have lived in Crozet for their entire lives and those who have just moved to the area to share a common space and make memories together.”
Last year the fireworks were blasted from the Barnes Lumberyard, a temporary arrangement. The permit is required for an event expecting over 2,000 attendees.
After this community meeting, the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority will provide an update on various plans.
I also wrote a story on this for C-Ville Weekly if you want to compare the two versions.
Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the May 6, 2024 Week Ahead edition of the newsletter.
