Annual Amtrak Mooning Event |
LAGUNA NIGUEL -- Orange County sheriff's deputies were out in full force Saturday policing the annual 'Amtrak Mooning' event in the city of Laguna Niguel.
The event is an annual summer ritual where revelers "moon" trains along a stretch of tracks in Laguna Niguel. It began as a tradition among friends, but has grown into a full-fledged festival, with people arriving in recreational vehicles and camping out in tents beginning the night before.
Last year, it the drawer-dropping festivities drew about 8,000 people and was shut down for the first time in its history.
The fun apparently got a bit out of hand, with reports of people passing out, having sex and displaying much more than their backsides. Some 50 police officers and helicopters were brought in to restore order.
This year, however, only about 100 people showed up to bare their buns to passing trains, according to sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.
Amormino said new parking restrictions were largely responsible for the smaller crowd.
City officials teamed up with law enforcement to implement temporary parking restrictions along Camino Capistrano. Those restrictions went into effect on Thursday and will expire Sunday afternoon.
A sheriff's command post was also set up on the parking lot of the nearby train station, taking up much of the available parking in the area.
Police also planned to block streets so people couldn't access to the site in front of the Mugs Away Saloon, located at 27324 Camino Capistrano. Legend has it the tradition began there in 1979 when customer K.T. Smith offered to buy a drink for anyone who would run outside and "moon" the next train.
The site holds only 49 people, and revelers were not being allowed to stand out front with drinks.
The Laguna Nigel City Council also voted to ban consuming alcohol in public and urinating in public in an effort to control the event.
The crowd was mellow, with only a couple of cars being towed and no drunkenness, Amormino said. He said deputies weren't citing anybody for mooning trains.
Thirty-nine Amtrak and Metrolink trains pass the spot between 7:30 a.m. and shortly before 11:30 p.m., Amormino said.
A Web site, www.moonamtrak.com, gives driving instructions to the site, but recommends arriving by Metrolink and making the 3/4 mile walk to the event location.
The site emphasizes that no one is in charge of the event, there is no one to sue if anyone gets hurt and no one is carrying public liability insurance.
The site also gives helpful information, like bringing flash lights or lanterns for "night mooning."
The event is an annual summer ritual where revelers "moon" trains along a stretch of tracks in Laguna Niguel. It began as a tradition among friends, but has grown into a full-fledged festival, with people arriving in recreational vehicles and camping out in tents beginning the night before.
Last year, it the drawer-dropping festivities drew about 8,000 people and was shut down for the first time in its history.
The fun apparently got a bit out of hand, with reports of people passing out, having sex and displaying much more than their backsides. Some 50 police officers and helicopters were brought in to restore order.
This year, however, only about 100 people showed up to bare their buns to passing trains, according to sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.
Amormino said new parking restrictions were largely responsible for the smaller crowd.
City officials teamed up with law enforcement to implement temporary parking restrictions along Camino Capistrano. Those restrictions went into effect on Thursday and will expire Sunday afternoon.
A sheriff's command post was also set up on the parking lot of the nearby train station, taking up much of the available parking in the area.
Police also planned to block streets so people couldn't access to the site in front of the Mugs Away Saloon, located at 27324 Camino Capistrano. Legend has it the tradition began there in 1979 when customer K.T. Smith offered to buy a drink for anyone who would run outside and "moon" the next train.
The site holds only 49 people, and revelers were not being allowed to stand out front with drinks.
The Laguna Nigel City Council also voted to ban consuming alcohol in public and urinating in public in an effort to control the event.
The crowd was mellow, with only a couple of cars being towed and no drunkenness, Amormino said. He said deputies weren't citing anybody for mooning trains.
Thirty-nine Amtrak and Metrolink trains pass the spot between 7:30 a.m. and shortly before 11:30 p.m., Amormino said.
A Web site, www.moonamtrak.com, gives driving instructions to the site, but recommends arriving by Metrolink and making the 3/4 mile walk to the event location.
The site emphasizes that no one is in charge of the event, there is no one to sue if anyone gets hurt and no one is carrying public liability insurance.
The site also gives helpful information, like bringing flash lights or lanterns for "night mooning."
