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SANTA MONICA - With crowds flocking to the beaches Saturday to escape triple-digit temperatures in the San Fernando Valley and other inland communities, business was better than usual for Tamboura Baptiste.
As swimsuit-clad children dashed toward the water and beachgoers showered on the sand just off the Santa Monica Pier, the street musician from Winnetka treated them to the live strains of Bach and Chopin from his weathered violin.
"This is the biggest crowd I've seen," said Baptiste, a classically trained violinist. "It means there are a little more artists to compete with on the pier, but this is the X-factor spot."
Indeed, masses of people hit the coast this weekend, with a heat wave slamming Southern California at the start of the three-day holiday weekend. Temperatures hovered around 100 degrees in many inland areas, even reaching 112 in the Antelope Valley on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. In Santa Monica, however, the mercury stayed at a far more pleasing 72.
Lifeguards estimated some 150,000 people showed up Saturday to Santa Monica's beaches.
For Baptiste, who also performs at the Canoga Park Farmers' Market, it was a chance to show off 15 years of training without being drowned out by the more raucous artists or jostled by the masses on the
pier.
"The trick with the violin is to find the right spot," Baptiste said. "It's kind of a softer, more delicate instrument, so if you find a spot that's not in the midst of everything else, then it's more appreciated."
Finding a relatively quiet spot became harder though, when the crowds grew and the sun struggled to burn through the marine layer.
Even though it was overcast, the water was 70 degrees, having just warmed up in the last week, said Capt. Dennis Morales of the L.A. County Fire Department Lifeguards.
"You can't ask for better water temperatures than that," Morales said.
But the warmer temperatures also bring stingrays close to shore to nestle in the sand. The rays could pose a danger to unsuspecting swimmers or splashers, said Morales, who suggested that those taking a dip go slowly, shuffle their feet and kick up some sand first to scare them away.
Water critters were nowhere near 3-year-old Noah Noblit's mind though, as he laughed in delight, splashing in the waves in his T-shirt and shorts on his first visit to a California beach.
"He wasn't supposed to get wet," his father, Dave, said as he smiled with resignation.
The Noblits, from Colorado Springs, were visiting family in Burbank and hoping to catch a fireworks show on July 4 at the Starlight Bowl. The show would be a treat since fireworks have been banned in Colorado due to wildfires, Dave Noblit said.
Just sitting in the sand under a shady umbrella was nice enough for Lancaster resident Diny Rombouts, who had only read 10 pages of her book and had given up to people watch instead.
The 70-year-old had gotten on a crowded bus and made the trip from the Antelope Valley to escape the heat.
"It's nice to come from the desert," she said. "It's nice to cool off like this."
Forecasters predict the heat wave will peak on July Fourth, followed by cooler temperatures at midweek.
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