500 Marines are treated to Super Bowl party in Newport Beach

It wouldn’t seem unusual that a Corona del Mar couple held a Super Bowl party on Sunday — except that the one Gary and Julie Crisp threw was for 500 active-duty Marines and included three meals, live bands and a lot more.

The Crisps’ 10th Super Bowl event brought five busloads of Marines from Camp Pendleton, along with retired military guests, to American Legion Post 291 in Newport Beach.

They were treated to breakfast, lunch and a barbecue feast, along with a variety of entertainment and activities as they watched the New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams on seven big screens set up around the building. A halftime raffle awarded $10,000 worth of cash and prizes, including a helmet autographed by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

The Crisps, who own Crisp Imaging, a Costa Mesa-based printing and technology company, presented a $25,000 check to the Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group, a nonprofit that assists Marines and sailors at Camp Pendleton and their families.

“Julie and I do this to acknowledge and honor the courage of our Marines and veterans and affirm Orange County’s support for these brave men and women,” Gary Crisp said in a statement. “These service people often don’t get the recognition they deserve. I have heard back from party guests from past years who wrote me to say that the memories from this event sustained them through tough times. That’s so gratifying and exactly what we’re aiming for with this event — unfettered, good, clean fun and our family’s expression of love and gratitude for our American military personnel.”