Beaufort Water Festival delivers for community

On behalf of the community, we thank the volunteers, civic groups, businesses, sponsors and patrons who made the 55th Beaufort Water Festival a success.

The festival is a 10-day series of events that spotlight the best attribute of the city and county -- its clean waterways. It highlights water as an inspiration to the soul and a cooling source of good times, sustenance and local color and culture.

Perhaps more significantly, the festival builds community, and that may be more important in today's mobile society than it was when the festival began.

Commodore Sheri Little and the leadership team that worked all year -- then spent personal vacation time for the festival itself -- deserve thanks. They did a great job, and it all was done for the benefit of others.

Moving forward, with new commodore Bob Bible now at the helm, a complete analysis of what worked and what could be improved will be in order.

The Teen Dance needs attention. Problems outside the gates after the event ended this year should not be repeated. We're confident authorities with the festival and the police can make the event work, if it's at all possible. It is a shame that police had to use pepper spray to quell multiple fights that broke out after the dance, but that action slammed the brakes on an escalating episode that could have been much worse. The Beaufort Police Department deserves credit for resolving the situation as peacefully and safely as possible, and now it needs to help guide us in preventing something like that in the future.

Is there enough security on hand for such an event? Can the logistics be altered to better channel 1,500 teens at its conclusion, or prevent those who never go inside the gates from being a problem outside?

It would be a shame to eliminate the Teen Dance. Teens need something to do, and they add so much to the festival. Their attendance throughout the festival is a great sign. Generation after generation, teens have found a welcome home at the Water Festival. They are tomorrow's leaders of the festival -- and community. They need to step up now to show they deserve and appreciate all the effort that goes into staging an event specifically for them.

From the beginning, the festival has constantly evolved to make each year the best ever. It remains a community anchor, and for that we are grateful to the volunteers who make it happen.