Galveston Beach Party Invades Island

Guidry News Services, Galveston Daily News ^ | April 21, 2002 | Galveston News Services

[GalvestonGal.com]

Thursday Afternoon - Galveston officials are prepared for Beach Party Weekend. Special Events Coordinator Paula Ozymy says this year's event is different than in previous years. Listen

Friday morning was quiet in Galveston, on the Seawall, Broadway and at the Ferry Landing.

Friday at 2 p.m. a few tourists enjoyed the amenities of the Strand Historic District.

KUHF Houston Public Radio Friday PM -- City of Galveston officials are braced for the influx of thousands of young people for beach party weekend. Jim Guidry says changes have been made to mitigate problems in past years. Listen

Friday at 4 p.m., Beach Party Weekend Crowds were beginning to build, while some regular beachfront users continued their activities.

Early Friday evening, Event Coordinator Paula Ozymy reported in after a tour of the beachfront. Listen

Friday at 8:30 p.m. Guidry News Service Reporter Daniel Eksuzian visited the Seawall. This is his report:

Beach Party Weekend is underway but at about 8:30 Friday night, the corner of 45th and Seawall had only light to moderate traffic. A few groups of people were congregated around the Coastal Mart where the visitors seemed to be having a good time with music, laughter, and some great paint jobs on tricked-out vehicles adding to the festivities.

Except for the Academy Sporting Goods store, the other businesses in the area were closed and barriers setup to control traffic. There was a small group of Police Officers gathered in front of the Academy riding quad runners or on foot. Two vehicles had been stopped by police briefly in the area.

Not only visitors to the Island were enjoying the beautiful evening. A gathering of friends at an area residence were also sitting outside and enjoying good BBQ and pleasant company.

Friday at 9 p.m. crowds were building on the Seawall. There were few people downtown.

Saturday at 7 a.m. - Broadway Boulevard, which was bumper to bumper all night long, was lined with cars loaded with young people. There were few people on Seawall Boulevard. Many of the young people camped out overnight in the Jack Tar property at 6th at Broadway

Saturday at 9 a.m.- Police Chief Bob Pierce reviews the first night of Beach Party Weekend. Listen

Saturday at 1 p.m. - Seawall Boulevard, Broadway, the Jack Tar property, East Beach, and other places where Beach Party visitors gathered, were packed.

Saturday at 4 p.m. - Beach Party Weekend visitors continued to cross the Causeway as the Seawall and Broadway continued to fill with the young partiers. Jim and Lynda Guidry set out to find fresh seafood and were successful.

Saturday at 6 p.m. - Mayor Roger Quiroga says the crowds are "more subdued" than last year. Listen

Saturday at 7 p.m. - As the Sun began to set on Galveston, Beach Party Visitors continued to pack Galveston Island.

Listen to a stealth mike placed in an oleander bush on the Broadway esplanade at 10th Street.

Saturday at 11 p.m. - These photos were taken in the 900 Block of Broadway.

Sunday at 9 a.m. - Galveston is quiet, but littered with tons of trash.

Sunday at 11 a.m. - Mayor Roger Quiroga reports on the Saturday night sweep, and talks about prospects for Sunday afternoon. Listen

More photos will be posted throughout the weekend. Emailed photographs will be published on this page, with credit. Please state the date and time the pictures were taken and include permission to publish in your email. Send to: BeachPartyWeekend@guidrynews.com.

[GalvestonGal.com]

Here's the wrap on Beach Party. I will copy the page that lists city official's contacts. Email away. I wrote this news service, the Galveston Daily News paper, emailed city council, mayor, city manager...that we were discussing this invasion on the biggest board in the country.
thanks

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Jim Guidry Editorial - Beach Party 2002 April 23, 2002

Now the time has come for us to agree that there is nothing good about Beach Party Weekend.  It has no positive aspects.  The people who come to Galveston for Beach Party Weekend do not want to partake in any of the tourist amenities that we provide for our visitors, not even the beaches. 

I want to thank Mayor Roger Quiroga and members of the city council, as well as City Manager Steve LeBlanc, Police Chief Bob Pierce, Special Events Coordinator Paula Ozymy, and the city staff, who did their best to alleviate many of the unacceptable parts of Beach Party Weekend.

First and foremost, the city council made the conscious decision to not sponsor Beach Party Weekend, and to not ask the Park Board of Trustees to sponsor it.  This decision, probably more than any other, had a large impact on the way the event was perceived in Houston and elsewhere in the country.

Although our visitors on other weekends must endure 55 mile per hour speed limits to comply with the Clean Air Act, Beach Party Weekend visitors revel in unconscionable congestion on Broadway, Seawall Boulevard and 61^st Street, burning valuable fuel in the most inefficient way, polluting our atmosphere.

Friday night and Saturday night there was no letup in traffic, and the visitors showed no consideration to people living in homes on their routes, blaring the most offensive music so loud that it rattled windows.  In addition, they freely threw their trash into the streets and yards of residents.

Because of Beach Party Weekend, the USS San Jacinto chose to not celebrate San Jacinto Day in Galveston, but instead held its event in Houston.  Our burgeoning cruise ship business was threatened by blocked traffic arteries.  Galveston’s tall ship Elissa left town for the weekend.  And on Earth Day, while the remainder of the world was celebrating the environment, City of Galveston crews and volunteers were cleaning up filth left by our visitors.

It is time to quit comparing Beach Party Weekend to Mardi Gras, Dickens on the Strand, or any other sanctioned event.  There is no official sponsor of Beach Party Weekend.  It does not exist as an event.

Beach Party Weekend has traditionally occurred on the third weekend in April.  In 2003, that coincides with the Easter Sunday weekend.  This is unacceptable.

We want people of good will, beginning with the city council, and including spiritual and business leaders of the community and the organizations they represent, to make a positive statement that "We have had enough!"

The statement should be this:  Beach Party Weekend has no benefit to Galveston, but continues to attract young people who show no regard for laws against excessive noise, blatant littering, the Seawall alcohol ban; and who exhibit other offensive and lawless behavior.  Thus, we people of good will in Galveston want it known that we do not want Beach Party Weekend to occur in 2003.  Those who have come to Beach Party Weekend in the past are welcome, of course, to come at any time.  We ask only that all residents and visitors observe the Galveston Rules of Common Courtesy.

In addition, we urge the city council to instruct the city manager to require that police enforce the “boom box” ordinance with vigor, beginning immediately.  We hope that the city will issue a news release to the Houston and statewide media, that visitors to the island will be required to keep their radios at a reasonable level or face stiff fines.

This also will address problems caused by late night visits by gangsters from Houston on Mardi Gras Weekend, and those “spontaneous” Rave parties on the Bolivar Peninsula.   These groups do not arrive on Galveston Island until after midnight, and they do nothing other than cruise our streets with their radios blaring. 

It is unacceptable for our island, or any city, to be invaded by loud, obnoxious visitors after midnight.  Even if their goal is to sit in the ferry line to take their offensive behavior to Bolivar.  Like our mothers used to say, “Nothing good happens after midnight.”

Thus, I am calling upon our political leaders, and other people of good will, to consider instituting a one a.m. curfew on special event weekends.  Signs should advise those who cross the Causeway after midnight that they should have a specific place to go by one a.m., or to not enter the island.  We will seek cooperation from the Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Sheriff Gean Leonard, and Galveston County Commissioners Court to institute a similar curfew on the peninsula, so that we can work together to bring this unacceptable activity to a halt.

If necessary, I suggest that we will take the proposed curfew to the Texas Legislature and/or the United States Congress.  This problem with unruly young visitors is nationwide, if not worldwide, and is unrelated to issues of race, creed or color.

If it sounds like I am suggesting that we make our communities inhospitable to rowdy visitors who have no consideration for the rights of the residents - that is correct.

Another message should be directed to the family tourists that we want to attract.  We want them to support our efforts to promote the Galveston Rules of Common Courtesy, to discourage undesirable visitors, and to make Galveston a nicer place to visit.

      Jim Guidry

Please let us know if there are any questions about this information.  
Email Galvax@guidrynews.com.  © 2002, Guidry News Service.   Duplication of any part of this website in any manner is prohibited.

[lugsoul]

This used to happen to us here in Atlanta - and the question of "why do they allow it?" can only be answered by the question of "how do you stop it?" - 250,000 kids come cruising into town - total gridlock on the streets - what do you expect the cops to do about that? Here, after several years of experience, the police basically shut down the streets - blocked intersections, off ramps on the interstate, closed large sections of downtown - so that "crusing" could not occur. Of course, it was a major hassle for the residents, as well. But, eventually, it became less and less "fun" for the participants, and moved on.

[GalvestonGal.com]

Page to email comments to Galveston City Officials

I sent emails on Sunday, but no replies yet. Be sure you tell them what city you live in, so that they can see how the whole country is watching.

[Orbiter]

I'd say you were right getting panicky, with some guy entering you at a public event and all.

[potlatch]

I wouldn't have had the nerve to be in something like that anyway, and it was nothing like the exibitions they put on now days!! LOL