Labor of love and lights: How Manhattan Beach’s holiday fireworks became a tradition
by Jefferson Graham Back in 1989, Pete Moffett, the owner of Manhattan Coolers, a popular restaurant on Manhattan Beach Boulevard, had a brainstorm: how about fireworks in December, instead of July, as a way to kick off the holiday season downtown? Together with other merchants in the area, he sold the city on the idea. “We didn’t know how big it would become,” said Richard Montgomery, a Manhattan Beach council member who attended the first fireworks show, and every show since. From about 500 people attending the first one, to an estimated 40,000 who now annually attend, the event has become the second most popular event in Manhattan Beach, after the Hometown Fair, which brings in 60,000 people. The Manhattan Beach fireworks from a Strand vantage point. Photo by Evelyn Schmitt Sunday, the 36th annual “Skechers Manhattan Beach Fireworks” show kicks off at 3 p.m., with various family activities, including the Skechers Snow Park, and photo opportunities with Santa, followed by the Mira Costa Jazz Band at 5 p.m., local favorite Joe’s Band at 6 p.m. and the big, 22-minute fireworks event at 7 p.m. Pete Moffett, awarded Best of Manhattan “Affair to Remember” in 2016, with then-Mayor…
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