Rockets, a Parade and So Fourth : Patriotism Burns Bright on a Peaceful Holiday

By day, Orange County celebrated the Fourth of July on the beaches, in the parks and packed along a Huntington Beach parade route, while at night its skies were awash in colorful fireworks displays from Buena Park to Dana Point.

The holiday spirit seemed even to have quieted the number of major problem calls to local authorities who had been bracing for their annual bouts with fires, violent crime and heavy traffic.

“Some officers have called in to say that things seemed more mellow this year,” said Newport Beach Police Lt. Tim Newman, who was among a task force of local police, California Highway Patrol officers and Orange County sheriff’s deputies patrolling the busy Balboa Peninsula on Thursday night. “There have been no real problems, mostly minor stuff.”

And fire officials, who had been fearful of mixing fireworks with an already bone-dry landscape, reported only two major fires. One of unknown origin damaged the Nabisco bakery and distribution center in Buena Park, and the other destroyed one unit and two others at the Morocco Apartments in Anaheim. The cause of that fire was still under investigation Thursday night.

“Aside from neighbors reporting that fireworks have been going off, things have been pretty normal,” Orange County Fire Department dispatcher Dave Marks said.

Despite early gray skies, residents and tourists seemed intent on staking out a spot and soaking up the day’s color.

In Huntington Beach, an estimated 270,000 turned out for the city’s 87th annual holiday parade.

One of the best places along the route was at the end of the parade line at Main and Yorktown streets. There, cooks in star-spangled aprons flipped about 200 pancakes every two minutes to hungry patriots willing to pay $3 a plate.

“I have a knack for flipping these things,” said Cindy Valek, a chiropractor who spent her holiday at the grill pouring batter and working a spatula. “Besides, it’s the only cooking I do all year.”

July 4th is usually the busiest day of the year for beaches. But shoreline crowds were varied because the sun refused to pop from the clouds until afternoon. Swimmers preferred to just dip their toes in the 64-degree water and surfers were left disappointed with flat waves.

“The surf is almost non-existent,” observed Newport Beach lifeguard dispatcher George Spangler. “It doesn’t get much flatter than this.”

About 70,000 people were drawn to Newport Beach on Thursday, down from the 120,000 authorities had expected would jam the shore.

Huntington Beach senior lifeguard Brent Peters also reported 70,000 along that city’s strand, down considerably from previous years.

San Clemente lifeguard John McMains said the beach there was fairly quiet with only about 13,000 people because of the uncharacteristic weather--cloudy and about 5 degrees cooler than normal.

Maria Montez of Santa Ana said she went straight to Main Beach in Laguna Beach when she saw it was hazy. But about 20,000 people had the same idea.

“I thought it would be less crowded and more peaceful at the beach when it’s cloudy like this,” Montez said.

At Doheny State Beach, about 10,000 beachcombers crammed onto the sand, said Chief Ranger Rich Gililland.

“July 4 is a traditional time for people to come to the beach,” Gililland said. “It’s usually a lot warmer than Memorial Day or Labor Day.”

Though the weather was not so hot, parades and picnics were quite popular with the family set. Picnic tables were full by noon at Fountain Valley’s Mile Square Park, where the city’s five-day Fiesta is under way.

At Huntington Beach, tens of thousands showed up early to run in a March of Dimes 8-kilometer race and grab good seats to watch more than 25 floats in the parade.

The Kiwanis Club and the Sister City Assn. fed breakfast to more than 3,000 parade-goers who wandered into the makeshift kitchen at the Seacliff shopping center parking lot. By midmorning, 450 pounds of pancake batter, 400 pounds of sausage links, 16 gallons of maple syrup and 6,000 pats of butter were served, officials said.

Operation Desert Storm veteran William Thomas, a technical sergeant in the Air National Guard, brought his family to the breakfast and to the parade.

“It’s a great holiday, isn’t it?” Thomas asked his children, William, 10, and Bonnie, 9, who were more eager for nightfall so they could see the fireworks.

At the parade, almost everyone was in their best red, white and blue threads. There were flag shirts, shorts, caps and even diapers. Business was brisk for vendors, who hawked American flags, T-shirts emblazoned with stars and stripes, and multicolored cotton candy.

After 20 years of living in Huntington Beach, Dick and Linda Straten finally made it to their first city parade. Relaxing in beach chairs placed on the sidewalk, the Stratens were ready for the parade with sunblock and a clear view of the floats.

“We usually are out doing something busy so we always miss the parade somehow,” Dick Straten said. “This year, however, my granddaughter wanted to go, so we’re here.”

The holiday also marked Ruth Ann Carlson’s 61st birthday. She watched the parade wearing a T-shirt that read “A Yankee Doodle Dandy Born on the Fourth of July.”

“I would die for this country, I love it so much,” Carlson said. “It’s the best there is.”

Thursday evening, thousands gathered near the Newport Dunes Aquatic Park for a fireworks display synchronized to music.

“I think it’s spectacular,” said Debbie Schulze, whose sweater was decorated with American flags. “Seeing a show like this really makes you proud to be an American and celebrate America’s independence.”

The Newport show started with music from Neil Diamond’s “America” and ended with Whitney Houston’s version of the Star Spangled Banner.

A different kind of fire lighted the night sky in Buena Park.

Officials said the blaze started at the Nabisco plant at 7301 Artesia Blvd. about 7:30 p.m. and went to two alarms before firefighters from half a dozen cities brought it under control.

A security official at the plant said the fire seemed to be contained to a warehouse containing packaging supplies, and no one was injured.

“There seems to be a lot of water damage here,” said Bob Herring, a security guard at the plant.

In Anaheim, firefighters battled a blaze reported at 11:59 p.m. at the Morocco Apartments, in the 2700 block of Yale Avenue. Two residents said the fire started on the wood shake roof of one of the 35 two-story apartments in the complex.

Correspondent Tom McQueeney contributed to this report.