Thousands of people moved in and out of Magens Bay in a steady, quiet stream without any apparent hitches all day Monday, Martin Luther King Day.
Bill Jowers, general manager of Magens Bay, called the organizing of the event "superb."
"Almost every security department has been involved: police, housing police, several security companies and even DPNR's Blue Lightning force," he said.
The other thing organizers did was to make sure that cars parked along the road were parked facing out, Jowers said. That expedited their exit.
Event organizer Bill Grogan said at mid-fternoon, "We got 'em in really well. Now let's hope we can get everyone out as well."
They did, and with many cleaning up after themselves on the way out.
Local Boy Scouts were on hand for the clean-up operation, picking up trash on the beach before the event ended.
Young people from the Civil Air Patrol were also on hand to assist with parking and traffic control.
What helped was the fact that the event went on all day, which invited people to come and go at a leisurely pace. And the times of performances were not announced beforehand. That was so people would not be expecting
anything at a particular time, according to one of the production staff members.
Ten shuttles ran up and down the Magens Bay road, giving beach goers a lift in and out.
