Fourth of July 1989

Tuesday, July 4, 1989

For many years, my brother Laurence had been organizing 4th of July parties on the Marina and Seaside beaches. In 1988 a bunch of friends came down from Santa Cruz with me. By the next year, tales of that party had spread enough that many people expressed interest in participating in the 1989 party. And so it was.

The invite:
From spcecdt Wed Jun 28 01:24:14 1989 To: aaron, acdrain, ackpht, akai, alibaba, andreas, astarte, astroid, avalon, billf, blank@ssyx, blondie, bluemax, boborob, bytor, cascay, ceowyn, cheeky, chopin, clndria, cmraman, crnivor, cthulhu, daguru, deckard, demeter, demon, dl2372, donut, drwho, easterb, ellen, etrigan, evan@ssyx, falcon, fiatlux, filbo@ssyx, fritz, funkstr, hawk, horny, icarus, jareth, jburton, jedi, jjetson, jjmouse, jongull, kahlua, karp, kevc, killjoy, kitsune, knghted, koreth, laftrax, lazlor, lechner, leopard, liz, loverly, maddog, madmax, matthew, mickey, mischif, moon, morisey, noise, noriega, nrthowl, nymphi, omni, pallas, penguin, primate, princes, psyche, puzzled, queue, rabbits, rain, romana, runxtc2, ryan, serling, shades, shandon, sig17, silk, siona, smq, spirit, tasha, tavia, teddy, therat, ulmo@ssyx, velcro, wolf, wraith, xzquoph, zap, zemkai, zenomt, zurena, zyrcon Subject: PARTY!!! ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION!!! The 6th Annual 4th of July Party-on-the-Beach will be held a week from today, that's next Tuesday (yes, on the very 4th of July itself) on the Seaside Beach. There will be $700+ of fireworks of every sort imaginable. There will be a barbecue grill and, later, a bonfire. It will probably be windy, and cold later in the evening, so dress warmly and bring beach blankets. Bring food to bbq and/or eat, and drinks. There won't be any extra around... I will probably leave around 3 or 4 to lead anyone down there who wants to follow. WARNING: This beach is known for having (gasp!) *illegal* types of fireworks being used. That means rockets, mortars, firecrackers, etc. There might even be some stuff *louder* than firecrackers going off in your immediate vicinity. I certainly cannot guarantee otherwise. So... DO NOT COME TO THIS PARTY if you do not like LOUD NOISES!!! We will try to keep stuff under control at our site but you probably won't enjoy yourself if loud stuff bothers you. Of course, bring whatever type of fireworks you like to set off yourself. PARKING will be very tight. If you don't get there early you may have to park far away. If you are the lawless type you might find an unlawful spot but then you run the risk of being ticketed. Seaside is between Sand City and Monterey. As you head down 1, you will first pass through Marina, then Fort Ord, then Sand City, before you reach Seaside. You will see the beach off to the right, next to the highway. Get off at the Seaside exit where you see a large hotel next to the ocean (there's a Kmart on the other side of the highway). There is a road that runs between the highway and the beach. Head back up that (north, away from the hotel) and try to find parking. We will be somewhere on the beach within line of sight of the hotel. The beach isn't that long so you should be able to find us. Depending on how you drive and what the traffic is like, the trip from SC should take about 40-60 minutes. Of course, it will be easier if you just meet here and follow me down. I would appreciate it if EVERYONE who intends to go would send me mail and tell me how many people they think they will bring, so we will know how large an area to stake out. My car is already full, but if you need a ride or can give a ride please tell me and I will try to determine if there will be enough rides for those who need them. Of course, if you need a ride come EARLY lest you be left behind. You should also mail me because there is a *faint* chance that the party will moved to a different, private site. I'll keep anyone who mails me back up to date. PLEASE reply to this with 'R' not 'r'!!! Thank you. "Let there be fire", John

Some before and after forum postings.


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Shipments
Shipments
{O Happy Day! Our [...]}

'Works
'Works

A Nice Assortment
A Nice Assortment
{Some of the [...]}

Rocket Engines
Rocket Engines
{For homemade [...]}

Geeks A-Waiting
Geeks A-Waiting
{Many people met [...]}

Convoy Assembly
Convoy Assembly
{The scene [...]}

ellen
ellen

Geek Encampment
Geek Encampment
{Some of the [...]}

Two Loci
Two Loci
{Irene recalls [...]}

Watermelon Surgery
Watermelon Surgery
{I don't remember [...]}

Device Inserted
Device Inserted
{A fruit with a fuse!}

Thrust Rocket Ignition
Thrust Rocket Ignition
{parody engaging [...]}

Watching
Watching
{ceowyn, blarg, [...]}

Watching Saturn Missiles
Watching Saturn Missiles
{excon, Trish, [...]}

spcecdt Igniting Skyrocket
spcecdt Igniting Skyrocket
{Who took this picture?}

Laurence & Finned Rocket
Laurence & Finned Rocket
{These rockets [...]}

Geek Silhouette
Geek Silhouette
{The black box is [...]}

Matt & Melon
Matt & Melon
{I love this [...]}

Run away!
Run away!
{Ack! It's a [...]}

Melon-B-Gone
Melon-B-Gone
{KA-BOOM! Nothing [...]}

Watermelon Tatters
Watermelon Tatters

zyrcon, demeter, whorfin, penguin
zyrcon, demeter, whorfin, penguin

grechen Napping
grechen Napping

horny & Bottle Rockets
horny & Bottle Rockets

Geeks
Geeks
{demeter, zyrcon, [...]}

horny & Baby Sunflower
horny & Baby Sunflower
{Yes, launching [...]}

Laurence & Skyrocket
Laurence & Skyrocket
{What's amusing [...]}

Rocket Misfire
Rocket Misfire
{I think that [...]}

Down the Beach
Down the Beach

Leap
Leap
{Matt leaping. [...]}

Party Assemblage
Party Assemblage

Ken & Gas Bomb
Ken & Gas Bomb
{Ken brought a [...]}

clueles & Glow-Ring
clueles & Glow-Ring

spcecdt & Roman Candle
spcecdt & Roman Candle
{Looks like I've [...]}

Beach Twilight
Beach Twilight
{People are [...]}

Saturn Missile Battery
Saturn Missile Battery
{This was a [...]}

Matt, horny, & Skyrockets
Matt, horny, & Skyrockets

falcon Launching Skyrocket
falcon Launching Skyrocket

horny Launching Skyrocket
horny Launching Skyrocket

Firework Haze
Firework Haze

Beach Night
Beach Night

Ground Illumination Flare
Ground Illumination Flare
{It's descending [...]}

spcecdt & Mg Close
spcecdt & Mg Close
{ceowyn brought [...]}

Scott & Finned Rocket
Scott & Finned Rocket
{That's a big [...]}

Skyrocket Launch
Skyrocket Launch

Geeks by Fire
Geeks by Fire
{Playing with the [...]}

lechner
lechner

pax & omni
pax & omni
{Irene remembers [...]}

Scott Launching GI Flare
Scott Launching GI Flare
{How this type of [...]}

clueless by Firelight
clueless by Firelight

ceowyn & excon
ceowyn & excon

falcon by Firelight
falcon by Firelight

Laurence Blowing on Sunflower
Laurence Blowing on Sunflower
{Actually he's [...]}

Two-Stage Silver Jet Liftoff
Two-Stage Silver Jet Liftoff
{These are the [...]}

Laurence Twining Rocket Fuses
Laurence Twining Rocket Fuses
{Preparing for a [...]}

clueles Flamethrowing
clueles Flamethrowing

parody Mortar Launch
parody Mortar Launch
{One of my [...]}

spcecdt Mortar Launch
spcecdt Mortar Launch
{After I got [...]}

Fire Dept Inspection
Fire Dept Inspection
{I don't remember [...]}

spcecdt & Something Sonorous
spcecdt & Something Sonorous
{I'm just posing [...]}

cmraman, penguin, & morisey
cmraman, penguin, & morisey

Standing over Fire
Standing over Fire
{Another pallet [...]}

bluemax over Fire
bluemax over Fire

ceowyn over Fire
ceowyn over Fire

queue, blank, morisey, parody
queue, blank, morisey, parody

Bye-Bye Cooler!
Bye-Bye Cooler!
{I love the [...]}

By the Bonfire
By the Bonfire
{demeter, filbo, [...]}

Bonfire Blast
Bonfire Blast
{I think this was [...]}

Ember Column 1
Ember Column 1

Ember Column 2
Ember Column 2

Bonfire Remains
Bonfire Remains

Fire Crater Observers
Fire Crater Observers
{aaron, deckard, [...]}

bluemax & Cooler Panel
bluemax & Cooler Panel
{Some of the [...]}

   
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