Thousands flock to Monte Foundation fireworks show

Display location:Seacliff State Beach
City:Aptos
State:California
Date:Oct.3

Details: APTOS -- A two-hour wind advisory pushed performances back nearly an hour for the 15th annual Monte Foundation Musicfest and Fireworks Extravaganza on Saturday, but once Bret Drucks & the A-List hit the stage at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, a sea of people blanketed Seacliff State Beach.

Early in the day, the event went off like any other year, with students from schools throughout the county lined up in booths selling food ranging from cotton candy to barbecue tri-tip sandwiches.

Once the sun began to set, music fans came in droves to the beach. Tents, blankets and towels took over the sand, as people hunkered down in wind gusts that swept across the crowd. In fact, the wind forced stage manager Steve Johnson to cut holes into the sides of the tents around the stage.

But many were happy to see the music and celebrities that appeared before the annual fireworks show that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for local schools. "Where can you go to a concert for $15?" said Melissa Scott of Aptos. "And you get a fireworks show and you can bring the kids. You can't beat it, it's great."

Marc Monte, founder of the Monte Foundation, said he believed he would draw 30,000 people by the end of the evening.

"We doubled the cost this year for the show. We've added a lot," Monte said. He added that because the cost of the tickets doubled at the gate, it pushed a lot of people to buy tickets before the event. "We're not going to lose money by any means. The regular amount of money that is raised will be going to the schools. We're not sure if we're going to get more money than before but it's a huge possibility."

Monte said working with Griffin Guess, owner of Cartel Records and husband of supermodel Marisa Miller, gave the event the energy it needed.

"We definitely hope to do it again next year," Monte said. "We did run across some hiccups but not in a bad way. Once you see the results on the other side it becomes real clear. It's just about helping out the cause."

Once the wind died down, Bret Drucks & the A-List kicked off the musical performances with special guest Black Nova. The dream-pop band Lost in Los Angeles was introduced by Miller about an hour later.

Actor Matthew McConaughey introduced his J.K. Livin record label artist, reggae singer Mishka, who performed at 8 p.m.

Just in time for the fireworks, Really Doe closed out the musicfest with a high-energy performance with special guest GLC, a Chicago-based rapper signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label.

Hasan Foster of Cartel Records said overall the night went very well.

"Cartel is very happy we could make the event. It's been great working with Monte," Foster said. "We look forward to doing it again next year."

Though early in the day there were rumors West would perform, the rap superstar never showed.

Monte, the president of Deluxe Foods, created the Monte Foundation 15 years ago to raise money for area schools. Any school in Santa Cruz County can participate by selling tickets and setting up a food booth at the event. The show generally brings in $200,000-$300,000 for the schools each year, but organizers hoped to raise $500,000-$700,000 this year with the musical lineup.