By Dakota Antelman — [email protected]
Spectators at Saturday’s Concord250 drone show may get a better view than expected. But they’ll have to take a bus — or a one-mile walk — to get there thanks to a last-minute change of plans.
Originally set for Concord Center, the drone show will now take place at Concord-Carlisle High School.
Organizers announced the change on April 11 and said the CCHS location will afford a better viewing experience.
Despite new logistical hurdles, “in terms of maximizing visibility for people, it made more sense to move it out of downtown,” Concord250 Executive Committee co-chair Rob Munro told The Concord Bridge.
‘It never made sense’
Events around the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolution will begin with the Dawn Salute at 6 a.m. and continue until the drone show takes flight around 8:15 p.m.
The show will feature illuminated drones against the night sky — akin to a fireworks display.
Organizers spent months promoting the event as a Concord Center attraction. With just over a week left before the event, and on their drone vendor’s advice, officials pivoted. Drones will launch from the CCHS baseball and softball fields. The prime viewing area will span the rest of the high school campus.
“It’s never made sense to have [it] downtown because there’s trees and buildings in the way,” said Executive Committee member Holly Cratsley.
Unanswered questions
Cratsley said she started hearing about the venue change last Wednesday.
The shift triggered a scramble among Concord250 organizers to update maps, graphics, and online listings.
Public safety officials who will park equipment at the high school during the day had to adjust plans to make the site ready for an evening event.
Organizers faced questions about how they will move crowds from an afternoon block party in Concord Center to the high school campus while roads remain closed.
And what about bathrooms?
Munro encouraged visitors to walk or bike to the high school. The town will also run shuttle buses in a loop between The Concord Museum and CCHS beginning at 7 p.m. (Sunset will occur around 7:30.)
Officials expect the drone show will end around 8:30 p.m. At a Monday afternoon executive committee meeting, Munro said buses will conclude service around 9 p.m.
Organizers say crowds could peak well at over 100,000 people earlier in the day, but the count may drop by nightfall.
Earlier on Monday, executive committee co-chair Gary Clayton downplayed the need for portable toilets on the CCHS grounds, emphasizing that the drone show isn’t a long event. As of press time, neither Clayton nor Munro had responded to a follow-up email about the matter.
Part of the process
Though approving of the switch, Cratsley said it “changes the dynamics a bit” around the block party.
Munro said this is part of a process that will continue until shortly before the big day.
“As we finalize something, we have to rethink other elements of the plan all in the name of keeping people safe and maximizing the enjoyment of the events,” he said.
Munro said organizers have worked “really well” with their drone show vendor and public safety partners.
“We realized that we [could] still make this change and do it effectively,” he said. “So we’re going to do that.”
