Solano Sun

Pedrotti Ace Hardware began in the small town of Crockett, California, in 1922, where it served the local community for 70 years before moving to Benicia, California, in February of 1992.

The store celebrated its centennial anniversary on July 3 with a spectacular 500-drone light show.

The show was a part of Benicia's Torchlight Parade, which is held annually for the Fourth of July. Prior to the day's events, the mayor of Benicia, Steven Young, thanked Pedrotti Ace Hardware for its generosity and commended the store on making it 100 years, calling it "quite an achievement," according to Patch.

The drone light show was performed by Verge Aero and lasted about 10 minutes, as the mesmerizing sight took viewers "back in time" to tell the story of Benicia and Ace Hardware.            

The coordinated drones told the story of Benicia's history, beginning in 1847, and the growth the town saw through the gold rush, the important pieces of legislation passed there when it was California's state capital and many other interesting facts about the town.

In 1924, Ace Co-op Hardware was formed, and years later the store moved west to Benicia. Shortly after Gene Pedrotti joined the store, Pedrotti Ace Hardware moved to Benicia.

In an interview with Pedrotti just before the store's centennial anniversary, he talked about how far Pedrotti Ace Hardware had come since 1992.

"It had taken a two-man operation in it waning years, thus sparing it from extinction, to become the most premier Ace store in the country," he told the Solano Sun. "And now here we are at our centennial. Yeah, it’s  been a great ride and worth the pain!"