July Saturdays have to rank as about the worst time to have a beach closure. Make it the Saturday of the July 4 holiday weekend -- and then make it Jones Beach of all beaches -- and you've got a major summer bummer on your hands. But officials made the right call when they closed the beach Saturday afternoon, after more than 80 unexploded fireworks shells were found on shore. A few more shells were found on Sunday.

As it has for the past seven years, Bay Fireworks of Farmingdale put on the big July 4 spectacular, the night before the shells -- which were labeled with the company name -- washed up. The company president doesn't seem to know how this "anomaly" could have happened. Fair enough, we guess, for now. But Bay Fireworks says it will be bidding next year to renew its contract, and before the Parks Department accepts that bid or any other, it should seek answers and protocols to avoid more July 5 beach closures in the future.