EDITORIAL:A party for the ages

The fireworks went off fabulously.

The party, supposedly the largest ever on a West Coast beach, certainly seemed to live up to that description. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 people crowded between the Newport and Balboa piers on Sunday to wrap up Newport Beach’s year-long celebration of its 100th birthday.

Dick Dale and Sugar Ray took to two of the stages. In a nod to the city’s beach past, there was a woody car show. Students from the city’s elementary schools filled the in-between time.

There was a festive, party atmosphere all day.

Did we mention the fireworks? People are still talking about them days later.

It was quite a bash and a perfectly fitting end to all the celebrations. For the past year, since the event opened with a party at the Newport Dunes, the city has held celebrations, and local restaurants and other businesses have managed to tie in specials to the centennial. The city’s history has been center stage. And the steam, which could have faded months and months ago, never let up. City staffers, led by recreation and senior services director Marie Knight, and scores of volunteers from the community made sure people remained enthusiastic and the party ran smoothly.

In fact, everything went smoothly right up to the end as the fireworks blasted and then all those people gathered onto the tight confines of the Balboa Peninsula made their way home with remarkable ease.

That alone might have been a feat for the ages — or at least 100 years.

Great job, one and all.