Safe and Sane Holiday

Barbecues, fireworks and fun--lots of each--characterized Independence Day across Orange County on Saturday.

For the third year in a row, the revelry was peaceful in Huntington Beach under the watch of a massive police presence--242 officers on patrol. In fact, no disturbances were reported anywhere in the county.

By 5:15 p.m., only 21 people had been arrested in Huntington Beach, all for drinking in public--half the number locked up by that time last year. By 11:15 the number had risen to 96.

“It’s been peaceful,” police Lt. Jon Arnold said. “A lot of families and kids are here. Most of the people are having a good time and enjoying themselves.”

In 1994 and 1995, youthful and drunken revelers set trash bins and lawn furniture on fire and pelted Huntington Beach police with firecrackers, resulting in hundreds of arrests and a resolution by officials to head off future disturbances.

Residents, too, seemed determined to focus on the spirit of the holiday.

Mike Erickson, a real estate agent, said he got up early to set out 1,000 tiny flags across his neighborhood. Then, with wife Gerri, son Michael, 13, and daughter Erica, 12, the Ericksons carried on their family’s Independence Day custom: They watched the Huntington Beach parade, strolled along Main Street, then trekked to the high school for the fireworks show.

“Fantastic,” Erickson said Saturday night. “It’s just so relaxing.”

Down Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach, there were lots of parties but few problems. By 11:15 p.m., police had arrested 59 people, most of them for public drunkenness, spokesman Andy Gonis said.

As they have in years past, many of Newport’s party-goers sat on roofs, whistled and hooted at passersby, and squirted skaters with water pistols. Others just basked on the beach.

“This is the best day of the year in Orange County, being in Newport on the Fourth of July,” said Jim Wendt, 32. “You just walk by and introduce yourself.”

Newport resident Don Cunnane, wearing a beer box on his head, echoed that sentiment. “This is the best time of the year,” the 31-year-old said. “The police apply just the perfect amount of control. Everyone has a good day.”

Said Amanda Reineke, 24: “The whole town is just a party, a constant party.”

Festivities went on elsewhere in the county too. On the sprawling campus of Irvine High School, more than 600 people had gathered by late afternoon to observe the holiday and fly kites, grill burgers, play volleyball and toss Frisbees.

Pete Diaz, 39, of Tustin, there with his family and three neighbors, staked out a spot by 9 a.m. and stayed through the fireworks show 12 hours later.

“We wanted to go somewhere where we could spread out and let the kids run around and have a good time, and so we wouldn’t have to fight the traffic too much,” he said.

A few feet away, a youth group from the International Churches of Christ of Orange County celebrated too. Jeremy Lyche, 24, a youth minister affiliated with the churches, said more than 75 youngsters from nearby cities turned out.

“This is a way for them to have fun and fellowship in a safe way,” Lyche said. “We’re having a great time.”

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At Centennial Park in Santa Ana, the holiday took on a Latin flavor, with an announcer chatting in Spanish while vendors offered enchiladas, sopas and corn on the cob.

The afternoon crowd was about 400 people, mostly families.

Vendor Aida Ramirez, who immigrated to Santa Ana from Mexico 50 years, said, “If this had been Cinco de Mayo or Sept. 16”--Mexico’s Independence Day--”this place would be jumping.”

But she was not put off by the light turnout. “After being here for 50 years, I love this celebration,” she said. “I came here looking for a better life, and that’s what I got.”

The day’s big draw was scheduled for later: an 8 p.m. concert by singer Tatiana and other performers.

Nelida Garcia, 35, of Anaheim said she usually celebrates the holiday closer to home but drove to Santa Ana “to see Tatiana and have fun and eat tacos.”

“This is what Independence Day is all about,” she said, “celebrating different cultures.”

And what’s the Fourth without a parade?

Saturday morning, police estimated that more than 250,000 people lined Main Street for Huntington Beach’s 94th annual Fourth of July parade, with its equestrians, floats and marching bands.

TV personalities Patrick Warburton of “Seinfeld,” Jose Solano of “Baywatch” and Joseph Mascolo of “Days of Our Lives” joined the procession.

“It looks like we had a slightly larger crowd than normal, but everything went fine,” police spokesman Arnold said. “It was very peaceful.”

Millie Douglas, a Huntington Beach retiree, said she and her family rarely miss the event. “It is nice to see all the families and the American flags,” she said. “It’s a tradition for us.”

At the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda, history buffs spent the holiday reenacting moments of the Revolutionary War, including the battles of Lexington and Concord. They also took part in a Betsy Ross flag-raising ceremony.

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Elsewhere in the county, there were some mishaps.

Children playing with fireworks started a small brush fire in a vacant lot in Lake Forest, said Lt. Richard Paddock of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within an hour, though, and no injuries were reported, he said.

And Navy veteran Sandy Pongue, 39, who had just arrived in Huntington Beach from Las Vegas with her four sons, lost an envelope with the $1,200 that she planned to use for rent. That left her and her children--ages 7, 8, 10 and 14--with no place to sleep Saturday night.

That didn’t dampen her spirits, though, as she waited for the fireworks amid families in lawn chairs and couples cuddling on blankets.

“We had a ball today,” she said. “We watched the parade and went to the beach.”

If was the solemnity of the occasion, rather than the money situation, that brought tears to Pongue’s eyes.

“I’ve always been really patriotic,” she said. She joined the Navy on July 4, 1976, and “every year since I get all choked up.”

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Times staff writer Shelby Grad contributed to this report.