By Marlena Ballinger / VIDEO by Zac Kohli (linked below)

On a beautiful evening in Bluffton, area families gathered on June 19 for a drone show celebrating America’s 250^th anniversary. Held at Harmon Field after the annual Festival of Wheels, few knew quite what to expect at Bluffton’s very first drone show.

Anticipation built along the line to get into the stadium, which stretched from the front gates to past Riley Creek bridge. Gates opened at 8:30 p.m. sharp, with visitors seated in the stands on the home side of the football stadium. Visitors were also directed to stand along the fence and could see the show from across the street. 

As the sun went down, show sponsors were announced and visitors visited. Suddenly, the stadium lights clicked off and a green glow came from under the visitor bleachers. 

Several dots of light rose to the sky and the music began. Viewers saw beautiful formations of patriotic images. First was the Declaration of Independence with “1776” inside to signify when America began, then the bust of George Washington, followed by a soldier signifying the Revolutionary War. After that, the visual theme turned to Bluffton as the words “Bluffton – 1861” lit up the sky. The show included several shapes signifying Bluffton before the lights returned to white and descended to the ground.

The 15-minute light show was organized by the Bluffton Celebrates committee as part of America 250 activities scheduled throughout 2026.

Video on YouTube