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Fired up for First Night
By LENNIE BENNETT ST. PETERSBURG -- Downtown on New Year's Eve will crackle with banjos, hum with violins, boom with drums, swarm with arts projects and burst with fireworks. Fifty different activities at 23 venues are planned for First Night St. Petersburg 2002, the alcohol-free event now in its ninth year. Earlier in the year, organizers were unsure it would happen. Record cold during First Night 2001 kept many away, said Pat Mason, First Night's executive director, and it lost about $10,000. Then GNC, a national corporate sponsor, stepped in with a grant for that amount. Mason said that money, combined with funds from local sponsors, including $25,000 from the city, have brought First Night to its budget total of $125,000. So the show will go on. Beginning at 6 p.m. Dec. 31, visual artists will be scattered around the downtown with interactive projects for adults and children. Performers include classical musicians and ballet, contemporary dance, big band music and rock. A portion of Central Avenue will be closed for a mini Bluegrass festival. A teen party at Spa Beach features music, dancing and night volleyball. Theatrical performances will be staged at several venues. Peace River Tale Spinners with tell folk tales through the evening, culminating with ghost stories in the final session at 10:30 p.m. Two fireworks displays are scheduled at 9 p.m. and midnight. Most artists are from the Tampa Bay area but this year, Mason said, a group of folk musicians and cloggers called Zoe Speaks comes from the Appalachian Mountains, funded by a grant from the Southern Arts Federation. More than half of the activities are indoors and require a First Night button for admission. The downtown trolleys called Loopers will run between venues. "But I am not promising anyone transportation," Mason said. "People should plan on walking. I am hoping those using the Loopers will be those who have trouble getting around." The big question, said Mason, is always the weather. "I don't even want to know what the forecast is," she said. "First Night goes on rain or shine." Last year's cold front lowered attendance to about 12,000, Mason said, which resulted in fewer button sales. This year she hopes for 15,000 to 20,000 people. And she hopes that most of them will buy buttons, a major generator of income for next year's First Night, which will be a 10th anniversary celebration, Mason said. "If we have good button sales, we'll be fine," she said. "But every year, it's year to year with the finances. This year, we're okay."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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