By Tanda Gmiter | tgmiter@mlive.com
For the second year in a row, the July 4 sandbar party on Torch Lake is supposed to be a more controlled celebration.
Police were expecting about 1,000 boats on Michigan's longest inland lake this year, compared to the 2015 blowout bash that drew 10,000 people - and their floating garbage, vehicles and rowdiness.
That year's controversial July 4th party, which had been promoted on social media, sparked a lawsuit. By 2016, authorities were ready with a larger net of enforcement, including DNR officers, who turned in some interesting reports.
Below is a photo comparison of the 2015 bash vs the tamer 2016 crowd.
A comparison of sandbar parties at Torch Lake in Clearwater Township as pictured from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter on Saturday, July 4, 2015 (left), and Monday, July 4, 2016 (right).
Photos courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard
A look back at 2015 vs 2016
This year, area police were prepped with stepped-up patrols during the extended holiday weekend.
A Michigan State Police helicopter took the following pictures during a July 3, 2017 flyover of the lake and its sandbar area.
Photo courtesy of Michigan State Police and the Kalkaska Sheriff's Department
Photo courtesy of Michigan State Police and the Kalkaska Sheriff's Department
Photo courtesy of Michigan State Police and the Kalkaska Sheriff's Department
Photo courtesy of Michigan State Police and the Kalkaska Sheriff's Department
Photo courtesy of Michigan State Police and the Kalkaska Sheriff's Department
Photo courtesy of Michigan State Police and the Kalkaska Sheriff's Department
Photo courtesy of Michigan State Police and the Kalkaska Sheriff's Department
Photo courtesy of Michigan State Police and the Kalkaska Sheriff's Department
Photo courtesy of Michigan State Police and the Kalkaska Sheriff's Department