COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:Thank you to centennial volunteers

On behalf of the residents of Newport Beach, I would like to thank the volunteers and city staff members who have done such a wonderful job of helping us celebrate our centennial. The 100 Years Between the Piers party Sunday was an incredible finale to our year-long celebration.

One could tell from the way the party evolved during the day and into the evening, culminating with the spectacular fireworks display, that this was one of the best planned and executed events that has ever taken place in the city. All of this was accomplished through thousands of hours of work by volunteers and city employees.

The party’s event chairwoman was Dayna Pettit. She started working with her committee over a year ago planning every detail and securing the best entertainment available for the event. The planning for an event with a venue that is 1.6 miles long and focused at three locations (Newport Pier, 15th Street and the Balboa Pier) was a monumental task. Congratulations on your success.

Coordinating the contracts, personnel and the day-of-the-event activities was Marie Knight, our recreation and senior services director. Through the efforts she directed, the event was flawlessly accomplished. The yellow and orange shirts of the volunteers and city staff were everywhere, and they knew what to do to keep the crowds happy and properly controlled.

The performers all followed their published schedule times and the fireworks actually started as announced at 8:30 p.m.

As I was leaving, the blue shirts of our General Services Department were moving in to clean up after we all left.

The Police Department easily moved the traffic off the peninsula too.

It was a job well done by all involved.

This has truly been a wonderful year for all in Newport Beach, and the 100 Years Between the Piers party was a perfect way to end the centennial celebration.

Thank you again to those who volunteered their time and skills throughout the year. Thank you to the city staff who put in many extra hours to make all of our events a great success. Thank you to our residents for making Newport Beach such a wonderful place to live.