Clovis High band fireworks stand funds Rose Parade trip

Clovis High School’s Golden Cougar Marching Band and Color Guard is using one of Fresno County’s busiest holiday shopping spots to bankroll a trip to Pasadena, selling safe-and-sane fireworks at Shaw and Fowler avenues to help cover its Rose Parade appearance. The stand is on the southeast corner of Shaw and Fowler, runs June 28 through July 4 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and includes online shopping for buyers who want to support the band without stopping in person.

Every purchase is tied directly to the band department’s travel and competition costs, a setup that turns a familiar Fourth of July tradition into a student fundraiser with a clear price tag. Assistant band director Evan Hamada said the parade trip is one of the program’s biggest fundraising efforts of the year, and this year feels especially significant because the band is trying to raise $400,000 for the Rose Parade.

That figure underscores how expensive a single high-profile performance can become once uniforms, instruments, transportation, lodging and other logistics are counted. The band says the last time Clovis High marched in the Rose Parade was 1986, making the 2027 appearance a return more than 40 years in the making.

The timing also puts the fundraiser squarely inside fire season. Fresno city guidance allows only Safe and Sane fireworks with the State Fire Marshal seal, and a permit is required to sell them in the city. Legal use in Fresno is allowed only from June 28 through July 6, while illegal fireworks that leave the ground, explode or spin uncontrollably can trigger fines that start at $2,000 plus a $250 administrative fee.

Fresno Fire has also been warning that the holiday rush strains crews and investigators. The department said it responded to 186 fire calls during a 12-hour Fourth of July period last year, and local coverage in 2025 reported 190 incidents in 12 hours, including 122 fires and about 1,500 illegal-fireworks complaints. Its investigations unit works with Fresno Police, the Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Justice, ATF and FBI on fire-related illegal activity.

For Clovis High, the fireworks booth is more than a seasonal sale. It is the financial bridge between a community purchase on Shaw and Fowler and a student performance in Pasadena, where the Tournament of Roses has already announced 21 bands for the 2027 Rose Parade on January 1, 2027.