Fireworks, a Parade, Picnics Fill the Fourth : Holiday: The beaches were peaceful--and not too crowded. A woman is hospitalized after illegal fireworks blow up in her hand.

Beginning with pancake breakfasts and pig races and ending with spectacular fireworks displays, Orange County residents soaked up the fun--and occasional sun--at parks, beaches and back yards Sunday in celebration of the Fourth of July.

There were foot races, picnics, and in true Orange County fashion, a parade with television stars and Minnie Mouse. But most of all, there were the fireworks--lots of them--lighting up the sky in 22 communities throughout the county as they marked the end of another Independence Day holiday.

At Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, colorful bursts of fireworks filled the sky, drawing applause from a crowd of more than 100 people who had assembled along Adams Avenue to watch the display above the campus’ LeBard Stadium.

“It’s wonderful,” said 30-year-old Rosario Gonzalez of Costa Mesa as she sat with her two daughters on a curb. “I never thought we’d get this close. A neighbor told us we could just come out here and have a good view. It’s a good show. I love it.”

As explosions of red, white and blue fireworks went off in rapid succession, 12-year-old Paulina Ptaszyski, who immigrated from Poland four years ago, watched with wonder. “That was good one,” she said, pointing to the sky. “Fireworks are my favorite part of the Fourth of July.”

Lu Bayles, 25, of Huntington Beach sat in a lawn chair, cuddling her 3-month-old daughter, Jazman. “This is her first Fourth of July,” Bayles said. “I wanted to make sure she saw fireworks.”

Around the county, residents partied in relative calm, police reported.

“It’s been one of our quieter Fourth of Julys,” Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. William Francis said. “I think weather has something to do with it. There always seems to be less trouble when it’s cooler. It also helped that the holiday fell on a weekend so you have more people out of town.”

In Newport Beach, where police manpower was strengthened after last year’s near-riot conditions led to more than 200 arrests in just two days, officials reported a peaceful holiday. From Friday night through early Sunday evening, police made a total of 81 arrests, most for alcohol-related offenses, Police Sgt. Andy Gonis said.

In Garden Grove, an 18-year-old woman was hospitalized when a package of illegal fireworks blew up in her hand.

“She was holding a package of 11 M-80s and was stapling it shut when a staple hit one of the M-80s, which went off and detonated the rest of the package,” Garden Grove Police Sgt. Paul McInerny said.

The woman, whose name was not released, was taken to Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center shortly after the 11 a.m. accident, which occurred in the 12300 block of Duaro Street. She suffered minor facial burns and severe injuries to her left hand, McInerny said.

Huntington Beach police reported more than 90 arrests, ranging from drunk drivers to bicycle license violations, throughout the city as of Sunday night, said Police Sgt. Val Birkett. For the second consecutive day, Birkett said, police cleared the beach at dusk without major incident.

Birkett also said that at 4:45 p.m., a beach-goer discovered a small package with military markings on it that had washed up on shore. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad and the U.S. Navy’s Emergency Ordnance Detail were called and confiscated the package, which appeared to be some kind of military explosive, Birkett said.

Several small fires were started by fireworks, including one at San Clemente State Park in the 3800 block of Vista Azul at 9:30 p.m. Firefighters extinguished it in about 30 minutes, officials said.

No injuries were reported.

Traffic near the beaches was predictably heavy in the afternoon, but the beaches were not unusually crowded for a Fourth of July weekend, officials said.

The signs of the national birthday celebration were seemingly everywhere.

Cyclists along Pacific Coast Highway carried flags on their bicycles, homes were decorated with red, white and blue bunting, and revelers wore the stars and stripes in various fashions.

North of the Huntington Beach Municipal Pier, Corona resident Manuel Hernandez and a dozen family members lounged under overcast skies and tested the 70-degree water. They had rushed to the beach before 9 a.m., only to find front-row parking and plenty of space on the sand.

“There was hardly any traffic. I was really surprised,” Hernandez said.

Along the 13-block route of Huntington Beach’s 89th annual Fourth of July Parade, Main Street residents had staked out their positions as early as Wednesday evening for a prime view of the bands, floats and celebrities. About 250,000 people watched the parade, according to Huntington Beach police.

Chilled champagne bottles and pastries lined a table in the front yard of Preston Hagman, who boasted the best “front-row seating” for the parade.

Nearby, Huntington Beach resident Julie Holtzman and her friends from San Diego were perched on top of a camper they had parked on the street two nights earlier to save a spot.

Holtzman tried to view the parade from a crowded sidewalk last year. “It’s great, it’s great,” she said of this year’s view. “This was a good idea.”

Some of the crowd pleasers were television stars Joe Regalbuto of “Murphy Brown,” and Brian Austin Green of “Beverly Hills 90210.”

Holiday Closings

The following will be closed today in observance of Independence Day: * All city, county, state and federal offices. * County, state and federal courthouses. * City and county libraries. * Banks and savings and loans. * Schools: There will be no summer school classes today and school offices, including those at colleges and universities, will be closed. Call local school districts to confirm. * Mail: There will be no mail delivery today. All post offices will be closed, and mail deposited in mailboxes will be picked up according to the posted holiday schedule. * Trash: There will be no trash pickup today for Buena Park, La Habra, La Palma, Newport Beach, Orange, and limited service in Cypress, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach and Villa Park. All other areas will maintain regular pickup schedule. * Buses: Orange County Transportation Authority buses will run on the weekend schedule today. There will be no dial-a-ride or car-pool services available. * Parks: All city- and county-run parks and recreation facilities will be open during regular hours today.