FOLEY, Ala. — Necessity is the mother of invention, so a few glitches here and there couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm at Foley’s “beach” party on Sunday, an event that coincided with the Jimmy Buffett free concert in Gulf Shores.

The Foley event at Heritage Park — complete with sand for the kids — was scheduled to start at 5 p.m., but Kathy Danielson of the Convention and Visitors Bureau said people started arriving at 3 p.m.

“We had a good crowd by 4:15,” she said.

When CMT, the cable station that broadcast the Gulf Shores concert live, moved its broadcast back to 6 p.m., that interfered with Foley beach party plans to show the concert on the city’s big screen, which was set up in the park for that purpose. Danielson said a TV was brought in so music from the Buffett concert could be heard. Riviera Utlities recorded the concert and it was played back on the big screen around 8 p.m., after it got darker.

“Everybody just kicked back and watched,” Danielson said, noting that, all things considered, the city, Riviera Utilities and CVB, sponsors of the event, were pleased with the way things turned out.

“It was one of the largest crowds I’ve ever seen in that park,” Danielson said.

The Heritage Park “beach” party was put together by the sponsors to show support for sister cities to the south whose livelihood has been hit hard by the ongoing oil crisis in the Gulf.

As Danielson pointed out, Buffett, the musical legend who grew up in these parts, gave a shout out to Foley during the nationally-televised concert.