Crowd has a blast despite rained-out fireworks

The chance of rain was 30%.

At least, that’s what the weather forecast predicted for Saturday as the Fourth of July weekend approached. Early forecasts called for showers Friday night and Saturday morning.

But, by Saturday afternoon, the staffs at Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and Pub and Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant were watching the weather as the third annual “Boom Boom on the Bay,” which the two restaurants co-host, approached.

Their fear? That the only sound of a boom over the bay would come from thunder, not fireworks.

They knew from past experience what the chance of getting through a three-day Fourth of July weekend without a storm is: practically zero.

As the storm approached, organizers decided to hold the fireworks a few minutes early in hopes of beating Mother Nature. In the end, they were just minutes ahead of her schedule: The deluge began three minutes after the start of the storms, and after six or seven minutes, the fireworks show came to an end. The fireworks boat even blew toward an approximately 30-degree angle in the strong winds.

Staffs of both restaurants shifted to safety-first mode, guiding patrons into covered areas.

“A bunch of us made a beeline inside the restaurant,” said Vice Mayor David Brenner, who attended the event at Mar Vista. “But I think everyone had a nice time.”

It turned out that even Mother Nature couldn’t beat the spirit of this crowd. Partiers huddled elbow-to-elbow inside each restaurant. At Mar Vista, the crowd sang and shouted the “Star Spangled Banner” with Koko Ray and the Soul Providers — and as the song ended, the power went out.

Next door at Moore’s, the revelry continued, even after the power went out. The staff went into emergency mode, according to Lynda Hicks, wife of co-owner Robert Hicks, before the restaurant’s generator lights came on.

“Everybody pitched together,” Hicks said. “We only had two tables that didn’t get to eat.”

As the storm raged, a small wall leading up to a back dock at Moore’s blew away. The storm deposited nearly an inch of rain on the north end of Longboat Key, bringing flooding of around six inches in the Longbeach Village.

But, as the rain poured, Mar Vista owner Ed Chiles lit the place up with his flashlight. Koko Ray crooned the words to “Rain,” by the Beatles.

“When it rains and shines,” he sang with the crowd, “it’s just a state of mind.”

“People just lit up,” Chiles said. “I thought we were going to lose lots of money, but we only lost a little. What I saw happen that night can’t be purchased. It’s that great dynamic that nothing can buy.”

Looking back Tuesday on the Saturday event — the day that marked Chiles’ 32 years in business — Chiles said that it was one of the greatest nights of his career.

Hicks said that guests at Moore’s also had a night to remember.

“We still had the fireworks show, but people just didn’t get to see the grand finale,” she said. “The storm was the grand finale.”

And the forecast for next year? Well, the weather is anyone’s guess.

But Brenner was willing to make this prediction:

“If we’re in town,” he said, “I suspect we’ll be there.”

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].