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Thousands Celebrate July 4th At The Beach

WANTAGH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Thousands are gathered at Jones Beach to celebrate the July 4th holiday on Monday.

CBS2's Raegan Medgie reported many beachgoers started arriving early this morning as finding a spot in the sand became a challenge.

MORE: NYC's Ultimate Fourth Of July Party Guide

Keith Brown of Uniondale got up at 5 a.m. to get ready for the beach.

"I cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, jerk chicken, BBQ chicken, potato salad, and BBQ ribs," Brown said.

Brown and his friend, Alan Jean-Louis, got to the beach around 10:30 a.m., as their entire set-up took three days of planning. Jean-Louis said it's an annual event that has kept going since he was little.

"A lot of good friends willing to come out and have fun," Jean-Louis of Canarsi, Brooklyn, said.

Brown said they are sticking around for Monday night's fireworks.

"We are in here for the long haul, for the fireworks, everything," Brown said. "We ain't going anywhere."

The Pedrazo family of the Bronx came to Jones Beach early, too.

"We've been here since 7:30 and trying to beat the rush, and it's working perfect because we got a good spot till about 9:30, 10:00," said Nancy Pedrazo.

"We did the breakfast," she added. "Then we have dinner, and we'll probably just have lunch at the boardwalk."

Pedrazo's husband was the meal prepper. His wife showed CBS2 what was on the menu.

"We have drinks, we have fruit bowls, plenty of ice," she said.

"Just knowing it will be at least a 12-hour day with a child, so we're prepared," Pedrazo added.

So were the lifeguards when it came to watching the tens of thousands cooling off throughout the day.

"All our chairs will be doubled up, and we'll have a lot of eyes on the water because there will be a lot of kids. There'll be a lot of people that probably don't know how to swim, and that's our main concern," said lifeguard Carol Lynch.

And another concern is the drive home, with all the traffic.

Pedrazo and her family, not so much.

"We already know there's going to be traffic, so we're already putting our mindset to it," she said.

While people were enjoying the day at the beach, the Nassau County Police Marine Unit patrolled the waters of Zach's Bay, making sure everyone had their safety equipment on board. CBS2 exclusively shadowed the marine unit.

"We just try to educate them on there to keep everybody safe," Joe Stassi of the marine unit said. "It makes their day more enjoyable and it makes our lives a little more easier -- we don't have to perform a rescue later."

Roy Mack of Montauk appreciated the unit patrolling the bay.

"There are too many nut jobs out there -- drinkers, speeders. Unfortunately it happens and it just ruins the holiday for everybody," Mack said.

The traffic is expected to build coming to Jones Beach starting at 6 p.m. The fireworks start 9:30.

Jersey Shore

Beautiful blue skies, sunshine and temperatures in the 80s made for packed beaches and hard-to-come-by parking spots in Belmar, where beachgoers were enjoying the weather but also taking some time to reflect, WCBS 880's Kelly Waldron reported.

"The Fourth is about celebrating our independence," one man said. "I celebrate with my family and try and forget about the problems of the world."

Another man, William, said it's not about one day, but every day.

"All year long, we're always patriotic to the United States of America," he said.

And William's wife said she appreciates everyone who continues to fight for our independence.

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