Lamar to celebrate 140th birthday with statewide drone show on May 16
A drone show featuring hundreds of synchronized drones will light up the skies over Lamar May 16 at approximately 8:30 p.m., serving as the capstone event for Lamar Days and marking the city’s 140th birthday.
The show is part of Stories in the Sky, a statewide series sponsored by Chevron, Tallgrass and UCHealth, with the Colorado Tourism Office offering communities across the state the chance to host. Lamar Welcome Center Manager Leslie Stagner and City of Lamar Main Street staff lobbied to bring the show to Lamar in honor of the milestone birthday.
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Drone base operations will be adjacent to the south parking lot at the Sand & Sage Fairgrounds, requiring closure of the south entrance to the fairgrounds on Saddle Club Drive. Viewers may use the north Saddle Club Drive entrance to access the Softball/Baseball Fourplex parking lot.
Because there is a 45-degree premium viewing area, the best viewing locations include the Lamar Ballfields (including the Green and Yellow Softball Fields), the Fourplex parking lot, the Tractor Supply parking lot and Savage Boulevard from Main Street to 9th Street. View #1 offers a front-viewing opportunity, while Views #2 and #3 will have more of a side-view appearance.
The show — produced by Brightflight Drone Shows — features synchronized drones performing elaborate animations celebrating Colorado, partially customized to Lamar’s heritage.
Music will be simulcast in sync with the drones. The display will transition into a live countdown clock, and once it hits zero, the synchronized soundtrack will begin. Spectators can listen via a music web app at https://www.fireflymusic.app/lamar; once the app is opened, the music automatically downloads to the user’s phone.
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Stories in the Sky kicked off September 27 at the University of Colorado football game in Boulder and is touring the state, from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope. It also commemorates the 250th anniversary of United States independence and the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood. The series is a partnership of the America 250-Colorado 150 Commission, Colorado Tourism Office and Visit Denver, and is built on two major programs working in concert through the end of 2026.
The Lamar event is one stop in a year of statewide programming around Colorado’s sesquicentennial celebrations.
In a news release for the project, Dick Monfort, America 250-Colorado 150 Commissioner and chief executive officer of the Colorado Rockies baseball team, said the show is a family-friendly way to celebrate the significant national and state anniversaries and to connect Colorado communities. “They’ll inspire pride in Colorado and the United States as we mark these milestones while offering a modern, jaw-dropping spectacle,” Monfort said.
Tallgrass chief executive officer Gary Watkins said he expects the drone show will “bring our communities closer, celebrating the values we share as Coloradans. As a Colorado native and lifelong resident, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our state’s 150th birthday.”
The drone show schedule and all statewide events organized by the America 250-Colorado 150 Commission are available at colorado.com/am250-co150-events.
