Hot rods and cool sands

People throughout Southern California did the most with their day off Monday, with some hitting the Newport Beach sand to cool off and others heading over to Costa Mesa’s fairgrounds to show off their classic wheels.

At the Orange County Fairgrounds on Monday you could have found yourself surrounded by the thunder of roaring engines as thousands descended on Costa Mesa over the weekend to show off hot rods and muscle cars from the a bygone era during The Great Labor Day Cruise.

For others, the three-day weekend was all about rest and relaxation, with tens of thousands of people from all over Southern California flocking to Newport Beach’s ocean surf. Lifeguards estimated more than 80,000 people visited their beach on Labor Day alone, with no significant incidents to report.

The Labor Day weekend is the last big draw to Newport Beach’s coast this season, with lifeguard staffing expected to be cut by about two-thirds starting today and another half expected to go off duty next week, said Lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner.

— Joseph Serna