It is time for Saint Johnsbury’s 16th annual New Years Eve celebration. First Night is an action packed. community driven, alternative to traditional New Year’s eve celebrations. A wide range of performances including theater, dance, music, movies, and tons of tasty refreshments make this the place to be for a fun, family oriented, Northeast Kingdom New Years.
New Year’s Eve marks the 16th annual First Night festival of the arts in St. Johnsbury. Anyone sporting this year’s green First Night button can enjoy all kinds of entertainment. The thousands who have been celebrating together every New Year’s Eve since First Night St. Johnsbury was born in 1993, hear music from many traditions, including folk, pop, rock, blues, bluegrass, Broadway, sacred, silly, contemporary and classical piano. You can see ballet dancers, puppets, a magician, a hypnotist and comedy shows. You can dance the night away to Big Band swing or hot rock. The kids can also work off some energy with the giant inflated obstacle course and moon walk and enjoy craft activities and radio-controlled cars at the Family Fun Fare.
With over fifty different acts and activities in over eighty separate performances at almost twenty venues on and just off Main Street, starting at 4 pm and continuing on through to the midnight fireworks finale, you’ll never be bored! When not enjoying entertainment, you can buy food and beverage at several churches and other venues. And the free late night pancake supper is always popular.
So what’s new at First Night this year?
Phenomenal baritone Geoffrey Penar will sing in St. Johnsbury for the first time since graduating from the Academy. Now a vocal performance major at Eastman School of Music, Penar still has people talking about his portrayal of Jean Valjean in the Academy’s the production of Les Miserables. Public Radio listeners may have heard Geoffrey sing on “From the Top,” a weekly program featuring outstanding young classical musicians from across the country.
The Wood’s Tea Company has welcomed Patty Casey to their group and First Night welcomes back “Vermont’s hardest working folk group.” Casey will also offer a solo set in her persona as one of Vermont’s best known singer-songwriters.
Jay Sprout
Director
First Night Saint Johnsbury
Adults can purchase your First Night Buttons for $10 before December 31st, and $15 on New Years Eve. Students attendent for $10 and small children are always free. You can pick you your buttons at any of the locations below.
All area bank branches of: Passumpsic Savings Bank, Union Bank, Community National Bank, Merchants Bank, Wells River Savings Bank, Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank St. Johnsbury: Price Chopper, Natural Provisions, Catamount Arts, Caplan’s Army Store, Frogs and Lily Pads, Boxcar and Caboose, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, Fairbanks Museum, R/C Toy Box Barnet: Barnet Village Store,West Barnet Quick Stop Danville: Marty’s First Stop Lyndonville: Shear Sensations, Lyndon Freighthouse Littleton: Village Book Store, Coffee Pot Restaurant , Shaw’s Supermarket
Phone orders can be made through Catamount Arts at 748-2600 or toll-free at 888-757-5559.
You can find more information about First Night and the evening schedule at http://www.firstnightstj.com/
Have a safe and happy New Years…See you in 2009!
If you want a snapshot of historic Northeast Kingdom Vermont then take a drive through Craftsbury Commons, in Orleans County. If you want to also leave with a trunk full of antiques and Vermont hand-made “uniquities” then go when the Annual Antiques & Uniques Festival is going on.
The festival, in part to support Vermont Children’s Aid Society, offers all the antiques and crafts you can shake a turn-of-the-century stick at, but also live music, great food, and activities for the kids makes this a fantastic Northeast Kingdom day trip. You want to get there early so that you don’t miss out on great deals. We made this an afternoon trip and were a little bummed that we didn’t get to spend more time there. The people were really nice while we were still rummaging through their stands while they were trying to pack, and everyone was really friendly.
