Cold evening can’t chill New Year’s excitement
With the windchill in minus territory, thousands of New Year’s Eve revelers at downtown Buffalo’s Roosevelt Square warmed to the promise of 2009 as the illuminated ball made its annual descent from the Electric Tower.
Mounds of freshly fallen snow formed the backdrop for Wednesday’s ball drop and First Night Buffalo festivities — the family-friendly event enjoying its 20th year.
Sponsored by the Independent Health Foundation, First Night attracted scores of families to the Buffalo Convention Center for what is billed as Buffalo’s biggest drug-and alcohol-free New Year’s Eve celebration.
There were familiar attractions, such as amusement rides on the second floor and the ever-popular Dennis George Original Variety Show.
Mary Simpson of Days Park in Allentown cheered on her 9-year-old son, Jack Saunders, as he battled opponents in the frenzied game show competition.
“He watches the show every day, and he loves it,” said Simpson.
Joining her with other neighbors from Days Park and Cottage Street and their children, were Julia Hall, her husband, Pat Mahoney, and their two children, Liam, 9, and Katie, 6.
“We wanted to spend the night with our kids. They’ve been off from school already for a week, so we didn’t want to stay at home and we thought, what can we do that would be fun for the entire family to do,” said Hall.
“We didn’t really think this was going to be that much fun, but we’re having a great time,” she added.
Carrie Meyer, coordinator of First Night Buffalo, said six core members from Independent Health spend seven months planning the event.
“People will just call and say: ‘We’d like to perform at First Night.’ So we either have them send us a tape or we go and check them out. We usually check them out first to make sure [the act] is something that is kid-appropriate and family-oriented,” Meyer said.
Among the more popular activities is the Nickel City Reptiles and Exotics exhibit, which was a big hit for John Pezzino, 9, of Williamsville. He attended with his mother, Sherryl, and sister, Victoria. Joining them were Dave Sable of Williamsville and his two daughters, Natalee, 3, and Kaylee, 5.
“The kids love it as a way to ring in the new year,” Sable said.
“Since they moved it inside, it’s much more family friendly. It’s not cold having it inside all in one place. Plus you get home before everybody gets out from the bars,” he added.
Along with the familiar attractions, there were some new ones, including a trampoline demonstration by the New England Trampoline Company, a performance by Push Physical Theater and a fitness activity room for kids, which featured an obstacle course, baseball toss and oversized tricycle races.
The hose hockey game was a favorite of 4-year-old Marco Felize of Allentown. His parents, Renee and Vince Felize, stood on the sidelines and didn’t dare try to drag him away.
“He’s been playing [hose] hockey for about the last 15 minutes,” said Renee Felize. “We haven’t gotten any farther than that.”
Colleen Cvetich, a Niagara Falls native who now lives in Raleigh, N. C., had never attended First Night, though she said a similar event is held annually where she lives.
“The only thing I wish they had here is an early ball drop. They do that in Raleigh. It starts about 8 o’clock at night, because my daughter probably won’t make it to midnight, but she’s still excited about viewing the countdown,” said Cvetich.
Meanwhile in North Tonawanda, a couple planned to dress warmly for a New Year’s Eve wedding on the main stage in Gateway Park during the first annual ball drop celebration in the Twin Cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda.
Nelson McCullough, 22, a member of the Army National Guard, and Nicole Nadbrzuch, 20, were to be married by North Tonawanda Mayor Lawrence V. Soos just seconds into the new year, hoping to claim the regional, statewide or even national title of being the first married couple of 2009.
Soos said earlier Wednesday he had the timing down. The band would stop playing five minutes before midnight, and Soos would read the couple their vows. As the lighted ball hit the ground a block away and the band struck up “Auld Lang Syne,” the mayor planned to pronounce them husband and wife.
“They wanted to make it a memorable occasion before the husband leaves Saturday for Army Reserve training in Fort Knox,” Soos said.
News Niagara Bureau Reporter Bill Michelmore contributed to this report. hmcneil@buffnews.com
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments