Barnstable confirms drone show, cites wildlife law for no Hyannis fireworks

Select Board · Meeting of June 11, 2026

Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ellis confirmed a Fourth of July drone light show will replace fireworks in Hyannis this year, citing federal and state endangered-species law that bars siting a launch barge close enough to protected nesting areas in the harbor. Ellis posted details on the holiday lineup — village parades, Aselton Park concerts, and the drone show following a Harbor Hawks Baseball League game on Main Street Hyannis — as part of his biweekly update covering May 27 through June 9. The town's FY27 operating budget and Capital Improvement Plan are posted on the Barnstable website ahead of Town Council public hearings that began June 11.

Preliminary FY27 real estate and personal property tax bills are being mailed to property owners, with installments due August 3 and November 2. The town is also temporarily closing the Eugenia Forts Beach Way to Water to vehicular traffic as of June 10 due to endangered nesting shorebirds. Ellis reported from a same-day bridge coalition meeting that the Sagamore Bridge replacement — the approximately 91-year-old span — is in active permitting with a bid process expected this summer and construction projected to begin around 2027, with funding already secured; he called a coalition presentation on potential Bourne Bridge funding "very positive."

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 1,308 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of June 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.