Celebrate the Joy at First Night Troy

Celebrate the Joy – at First Night Troy
If someone invited you to a party last night, you’d say, thanks, but looks like I missed it; sorry. Maybe that’s why the nationwide celebration of New Years eve isn’t called Last Night to end 2006, but called FIRST NIGHT to ring in 2007; and the one in Miami County is expected to be a zinger.
Zinger may be an old phrase, but apt for one of the more than twenty bands, events, musical acts and shows that will be reverberating through the Square and blocks around it Sunday Night Dec 31st. One of the featured acts will the big band sounds of Swing Era – a 21 piece band with all the pizzazz and swing tunes from the 40’s on up. A great singer, audience participation, great dancing, and a way to revisit one of the most romantic eras ever. Not into Swing? How about 12 other musical bands and acts in 8 venues in downtown Troy just for a start?
First Night is a family-friendly, alcohol-free event celebrated in 300 cities around the country. Starting in Philadelphia in 1976 the concept has swept the country, but just starting to move and shake Miami County.
A group from Leadership Troy got together to plan Troy’s first First-Night celebration in 2004, attracting a respectable 400 people downtown for fun and music. Last year the event grew exponentially, with more than 2,000 people coming downtown during the evening to dance, swint to the music and just have a rollicking good time.
This year, the event is planned to be even bigger and better; so make your plans now.
Thanks to generous grants from The Troy Foundation and the Miami County Foundation, plus great community sponsors, including Meijer, Mutual Federal Savings bank, the Optimist Club, Rotary Club, Trojan Insurance, OneCall Now, and many others, This years’ cost for First Night admission has been brow-beaten down to FREE.
First Night, thanks to donations from many area restaurants will have plenty of free soft drinks, snacks, and food all evening long.
The celebration committee has been working on the 3rd annual First Night Troy for months, making sure that everything is in place for a bang up New Years Eve. Early on, it will be fun for the family, with a family comedy show from Dave Kaplan.
This one man variety show invites the audience into the humor as the focus of the show. Whether he's juggling bean bag chairs, playing a melody on "concert balloon", or levitating a bowling ball, Kaplan's preposterous blend of dazzling skill and shameless gimmickry is sure to amaze and amuse.
Notable shows include a recent performance as guest 'balloonist' with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and network television appearances on ABC TV's "The View" and "The Statler Brothers Show" on TNN. David is just plain fun. Delighting audiences of all ages with his highly original act. Inspired by the antics of Keaton, Sellers, Victor Borge and the illustrious Maxwell Smart among others, Kaplan delivers a most unique and hilarious spectacle. Kaplan will be performing twice on First Night, an early Kids show and a later show (still clean, but where the tricks aren’t for kids) both at Hayner Cultural Center.
The First United Church of Christ, a block and a half south of the Square has great acoustics, to show off the Gothan City Brass, New rennassaince players, The Dulciomer group and an accordion band- in the early evening till 10:30.
Bakehouse Breads on the Square will have their signature sandwiches and hot soup served to the folk music of ELI and then Jim Merrick, the "Grateful Parrot," who has been singing and strumming his guitar since age six will rock till 11. His current beach music lounge act has evolved from his years of experience both as a band member and solo performer. Jim's specialty is the music of Jimmy Buffett, and his spirited interpretations of these classics. His friendly, easy-going stage manner encourages audience participation on those well-known crowd favorites, and invites listeners to enjoy some of his original tunes.
A few doors down, the restored grandeur of the Troy Community Room will move to the beat of the Rock Island Plow Company, this Bluegrass group was formed in 2004 with a group of veteran musicians. Each member has an extensive personal musical background which includes rock-n-roll, country and bluegrass music; featuring high-energy technical music. With a strong commitment for maintaining the classic bluegrass style performed by Flatt and Scruggs and Bill Monroe in the early days of bluegrass, coupled with the interest in newer bluegrass music written for today’s audience. The group strives to revitalize listeners to those songs which may have been forgotten since the early days of bluegrass, and make them once again the favorites of fans as they were in former days.At the same time, they respect where bluegrass is today and perform favorites from such groups as The Lonesome River Band and Country Gentlemen. Rock Island Plow Company will continue to impress us in their 3rd First Night appearance and always has the crowd singing for more.
A block West, performing at Bamboo Grill, Rum River Blend bill themselves as 'Unprofessional Entertainment'! They perform blend of traditional bluegrass, folk, Gospel and children's songs. The audience is encouraged to join in on the fun as spoons, washboards, and various other noise making instruments are often passed out to the crowd.
Throughout the evening roving street artists will delight and amaze; and old fashioned carriage rides will be available to tour the lights of the historic district.
The clock is ticking down toward New Year. The First Night Celebration of arts and community has dozens of things left on the checklist. If you would like to help – the party needs volunteers to spend two hours at different venues handing out horns, food and programs; it’s fun to be part of the action! Let’s focus folks! (still need eight more – you interested? 339-5455 or send an e-mail to info@firstnighttroy.com).
This paper is sponsoring the midnight countdown by Mayor Mike and Mrs. Ginnie Beamish as the giant ubiquitous Troy Strawberry shuffles down in the last 30 seconds, while the crowd dances to make big snap-crackle pop on hundreds of feet of bubble wrap!
The entire evening culminating with the giant Strawberry drop (it is, after all, in Troy) at the band shell stage set-up in front of the County Courthouse. With free noisemakers and horns for all.
So plan to hand out in downtown Troy New Years Eve- until the last night ends, and first night begins!
Leib Lurie is a Troy resident, First Night Chair, Optimist Club member and CEO of phone message service OneCallNow.com. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net
Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com