Park Police, Fences Unable to Fend Off Celebrators : Castaic Lake: About 15,000 visit the public recreation area during the day. A fireworks show, to which admission is charged, follows in the evening.

A crowd of 15,000 people so overwhelmed Castaic Lake that authorities tried to close it Thursday, but a tide of exasperated holiday celebrants, loaded with coolers and grills, flowed around outnumbered park police and pushed down fences to gain admittance.

Attendance at the Los Angeles County-operated recreation area 10 miles north of Santa Clarita--a 2,235-acre reservoir above Castaic Dam and a 197-acre boating and swimming lagoon--reached its capacity of about 6,000 about 10:30 a.m., Park Supt. Mike Hargett said.

By then, officials said, patrons were being turned away because the parking lots at the lower lake were full.

Access is restricted both because large crowds of swimmers increase the bacteria count in the lower lake, and because overflow traffic from the lake’s crowded parking lots clogs nearby roads, officials said.

Park officials have installed a fence to limit the number of swimmers and other patrons. But the fence was ineffective Thursday against the onslaught of thousands of visitors who showed up carrying coolers, grills, inner tubes and bags of charcoal. Some said they had made lengthy drives from the city.

“The fence was put up to control both vehicles and pedestrian traffic, but now we’ve got so many outside that want to get in they’re breaking the fence down,” said Charles Graham, manager of the lake.

Stern warnings about entering the recreation area rankled holiday celebrants, especially those who were turned away after paying to park in nearby private lots.

“We had everything ready,” said Eric Mendez, part of a dozen-member group from West Los Angeles that was not allowed to enter. “We cooked and everything. We’ve got $40 or $50 worth of meat here.”

“We just paid $4 for parking and they told us we could come in and now this guy says we can’t,” said Michelle Egan, referring to one of the harried officers trying to stop patrons in their tracks.

“There’s no warning until they start screaming at you,” said Egan, also from West Los Angeles, who was pushing a baby stroller and holding a toddler’s hand.

The size of the crowd, and the problem park police had in controlling access, gave rise to fears of trouble Thursday evening, when a private promoter was to put on a fireworks show at the park, charging admission of $3.50 per person.

It was feared that the daytime crowd would remain without paying. Park police said it would have been impossible to force people to leave or to collect the fee.

Graham said he worried that patrons leaving and those arriving would cause traffic tie-ups and had predicted “a horrible hassle.”

However, the problem appeared to solve itself about sundown, officials said. The crowd had dwindled to less than 4,000 when the admission fee went into effect at 6 p.m., Hargett said.

“The park naturally clears out because people go home after spending all day here,” said Brian Roney, assistant park superintendent.

“We advised the promoter up front . . . that there was a possibility that we would be full and it might be difficult for him to gain revenue for admission,” Roney said. “Part of the definition of being a promoter is taking a risk.”

Forest Painter, a representative of Stephen J. Quinn Productions, the fireworks show’s promoter, said Quinn began organizing the 20-minute event less than three weeks ago and secured the necessary permits only Monday.

Painter, who helped set up the fireworks display, said 10,000 flyers advertising the display were distributed in the Santa Clarita Valley. He did not know how much the show would have to take in to break even.

Two other fireworks displays charging admission in the Santa Clarita Valley--at the Saugus Speedway and at Magic Mountain--were also scheduled Thursday. But a major free show at College of the Canyons, which in previous years had attracted as many as 40,000 people, was canceled because one of its major sponsors withdrew.

In the San Fernando Valley, officials concerned about bootleg fireworks closed the unpaved portion of Mulholland Drive west of the San Diego Freeway between 6 p.m. and midnight. The closure was requested by the Los Angeles Fire Department and City Councilman Marvin Braude.

In past years, the area--which is surrounded by sparsely inhabited hillsides covered with brush--has been a hotbed of illegal fireworks activity, fire officials said.

The patriotic themes of celebrations around the area earlier in the day were enlivened with very current reminders from the Persian Gulf War.

An “Operation Homecoming” parade organized by a local radio station to honor those who fought in Operation Desert Storm rolled and marched down Foothill Boulevard through Sunland on Thursday morning. The parade featured American Legion members, military reserve units, clowns and antique cars.

Several thousand people, many carrying flags or wearing military insignia, lined the route of the Santa Clarita parade sponsored by merchants in Newhall. The parade’s grand marshals were state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita) and his wife, Bobbie, who wore Revolutionary War-era costumes and white wigs.

Parade-goers gave veterans marching along the route standing ovations, and City Councilwoman JoAnne Darcy, who helped announce entrants in the parade, said to the soldiers: “We are so proud of you guys and your families. You made it happen. God bless you.”

At Pierce College, a 9 p.m. fireworks display sponsored by the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce attracted about 25,000 people to a show that also included sky divers, dancers, country music performers and big band music, Pierce College Police Capt. Ken Renolds said.

At Cal State Northridge, an estimated 12,000 people saw fireworks, parachute jumpers, clowns and cheerleaders from the Los Angeles Raiders in a 9 p.m. program, CSUN Police Dispatcher Michael Rich said.

Times staff writers Jim Herron Zamora and Amy Pyle contributed to this story.