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]

250,000 black youngsters, many carrying drugs and guns annually invade the tourist town of Galveston Texas. Residents are barricaded in their homes and no local commerce takes place while the youngsters drive a loop around the island.

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[Texaggie79]

DAM I wish I was back down there.

[crystalk]

If a realtor had shown up while I was reading that, I would have put the house up for sale, to move back to that island.

[AdA$tra]

My "old" oldest brother lives in Alvin, about 30 miles North. I think Freeport beach sounds good too.

[GalvestonGal.com]

Introduction of news story, click for links
Timeline of above with pictures and audio links
Galveston Daily News headlines today
Article here

Excuse the list of "topics", but I kept getting "this topic doesn't exist, and so I just clicked a bunch of them.

I'm reporting this story because it is an absolute invasion of destructive and unwelcome cruisers. Local government and letters to the editor always get divided along racial lines - if you complain you are a racist. It just won't go away.

[Texaggie79]

Nolen Ryan's town. Ya, many friends in Alvin. I love their night golf course.

[Ditter]

I think if you had ever seen Beach Party Weekend you might not want to be there then.

[GalvestonGal.com]

You can't get across the causeway without waiting for two hours, meanwhile you get to listen to boom boxes and watch people urinate outside their cars.

[Texaggie79]

It's Galveston's version of Freaknic. You just gotta know the places to go, where all races can party.

[GalvestonGal.com]

Try having a beach house that normally rents for $1,000 a week and have the choice of not renting or raising the rent to $3,000 to cover the theft and wall repairs.

[GalvestonGal.com]

Please take Beach Party to Freeport or Bolivar. The problem is that this crowd doesn't want to "go TO the beach", they want to ride around, show off their leased cars, and video public sex acts.

[Budge]

DAM I wish I was back down there.

You and me, TA79, you and me!

[GalvestonGal.com]

My position is: Yes, Galveston is a tourist town where thousands of tourist come to enjoy the beach, shops, restaurants, museums, and numerous attractions.

While thousands of tourist visit, even for festivals drawing more than 100K, islanders can still function.

Beach Party shuts down the whole freakin' island. For TWO days. The ONLY people who get to move around are the 250K people in their cars, who drink, litter, trash hotel rooms, walk checks in the restaurants, shake the houses with their boom boxes, and have sex in public.

[spectre]

What's up with the residents of Galveston? Don't they have a say in this? Or is the Mayor "on the take"?

sw

[Texaggie79]

need to find a way to profit from it.

[spectre]

I lived in a Beach Town, and what you say is true, OPH. The residents can find a way to stop it, IF they worked on it. Either that, or their local government isn't working for them. Think that isn't possible? Look at Little Rock, and the Clinton Library situation. Good old boy network.

sw

[AppyPappy]

It's not that easy. Daytona Beach and Ft Lauderdale took almost a decade to unravel. Now the hot spot is Mexico where the drinking age isn't a problem.

[Ditter]

I have a house on Galveston Bay (not on Galveston Island) & I have seen it & I don't know why the city of Galveston allows it to happen. Most of the business close up for 2 days, many of the residence leave for 2 days. Its a nightmare. If anyone complains about it they are called racist. It began as a frat. party, then was sponsored by a radio station. I am not sure but I think it took on a life of its own & it just happens. The city closed many streets & made others one way to control the traffic because the city became grid locked. I don't know what they did this year. I have heard some stories of sex acts in public that would shock & amaze you.