Centralia City Council to consider co-hosting drone light show in September with Centralia College

The Centralia City Council will consider a proposal from city staff to partner with the Centralia College Foundation to host a drone light show on the evening of Sept. 13 to celebrate the city’s 150th birthday and the college’s 100th birthday.

The item is included on the council’s agenda for its Tuesday, June 10, business meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at city hall.

In recent years, the City of Centralia has sponsored the fireworks for Summerfest on the Fourth of July. Funds were included in the 2025 parks department budget for the display. The fireworks are usually let off at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds following the demolition derby.

This year, because there is no derby or other event at the fairgrounds, the associated fireworks were canceled, according to the city’s agenda report.

In response, the parks department sought to work with partners to replace the fireworks with a different fun event to delight the community. The department teamed up with the Centralia College Foundation, which is hosting a college centennial picnic on the clock tower field at the college on Sept. 13.

The college will invite people to leave their blankets and chairs in the field following the afternoon picnic and hold their place to watch the drone show in the evening. The city and college will jointly advertise the event throughout the summer if the council approves on Tuesday.

The drone show will take place at approximately 8:15 p.m. on Sept. 13 and last for 10 to 15 minutes. It will include 150 drones showing approximately 25 different custom images that highlight Centralia and the college, its history, iconography and connection to the community. The show will be set to music.

The contract up for approval is with Northern Lights Drone Show, which was the successful bidder out of three bids the city received. The contract requires a 25% deposit be made upon contract signing, enabling the company to complete design work in the months leading up to the event. Therefore, staff is requesting the city council approve the finance department to issue a check for the deposit in the amount of $4,000.