AUBURN - Snow and cold didn't stop or even interrupt the party at Casey Park on New Year's Eve. For the seventh year, families flooded into Casey Park's recreation building for a family New Year's Eve celebration, looking ahead to 2009.
People flocked to the rec building's center, in spite of 11-degree weather with a windchill factor of -4.
More than 50 children already had their skates on by 7 p.m., going around the rink to DJ Jane Stebbins' spin on Elvis' “Hound Dog,” counting down the hours with fun.
Darren Vatter, 8, of Auburn, was on skates for the first time, so he hung tight to the wall, his sister, Carly, 10, has come often. Julian and Kiana Ruiz, 6 and 8, skated with red walkers as they had trouble staying up.
Dia Carabajal, president of the Arts Council board, was handing out 50-50 lottery tickets in front of the rink.
“This is the type of lifestyle people enjoy,” she said. “It's an important event for the community.”
While the rec center was packed, she said the turnout was a bit light compared to the approximately 500 to 700 people usually attending the annual event. Families were having fun and there was something for all ages.
Dia's niece, Nancy Hunt, an 11th grader at Weedsport High School, was helping Lizzy Fennessy, a science major at SUNY Binghamton, who painted a dragon and a skull on Cody Smith, 7, a first grader at Herman Avenue Elementary School in Auburn.
Beth Anne Moskov, sister of David Moskov, Auburn High School football coach, had come home from Ghana, where she has lived the past three years. Her two children, Madeline, 1, and Nicholas, 11, were enjoying the snow, which Beth Anne was hoped for. She will return to a hot, dry season after the holidays and said they hadn't prepared for this weather.
Henry Moskov, 3, was busy making a crown for the New Year's Eve celebration and had a football painted on his cheek. His sisters Grace, 5, Abbie, 10, and brother Charlie, 7, enjoyed watching students from the Absolute Dance company perform to “Silent NIght” under the direction of Yvonne Villano-Hassett.
Ellie Beck, one of the event's originators and Cayuga County Council of the Arts board member, spoke of how it began.
“A group of us felt the New Year should be celebrated as a family event,” she said.
The idea was to impart an Old World flavor by making masks and enjoying puppetry, much as people did in Europe.
Coffee and hot cocoa warmed everyone's bodies and spirits, courtesy of the Auburn Doubledays.
“We wanted to make it all interactive,” Beck said, with performances encouraging audience participation.
Resolution writing was an example of engaging people, she said. Partygoers wrote resolutions, put them in self-addressed envelopes, and in June, their resolutions will come in the mail to keep them on track, Beck said.
A highlight, especially for the children, was The Open Hand Theater of Syracuse's performance of “The Secret of the Puppet's Book.”
Children circling the two performers, Andrea Martin and Vladimir Vasyagin, were encouraged to interact by helping Louis the frog read the word “Children” on the cover of a book, and “Atlas.” A huge rhinocerous, giraffe, dancing books and the face of a grumpy old man, topped off with a talking crescent moon, made this a magical experience for all who watched.
A horse-drawn wagon, provided by Charles Minturn, carted revelers through the falling snow around Casey Park, and there was a constant line.
A fireworks display by Telstar was scheduled as was Bob Lyna for 30 minutes of non-stop drumming.
Auburn Fire Department's ladder truck began lowering a silver tinsel ball of light in the parking lot, counting down to midnight and lighting up the red tinsel 2009 sign made by Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES students.
“It's Auburn's Times Square,” Beck said.
“We have had to scale back this year to have this happen,” Beck said. “Local businesses were hit hard. It's been a tough year for everybody.”
She acknowledged contributions from the Stardust Foundation, Auburn Party Rental, Cayuga County Stop DWI, and the Doubledays.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
More than 50 children already had their skates on by 7 p.m., going around the rink to DJ Jane Stebbins' spin on Elvis' “Hound Dog,” counting down the hours with fun.
Darren Vatter, 8, of Auburn, was on skates for the first time, so he hung tight to the wall, his sister, Carly, 10, has come often. Julian and Kiana Ruiz, 6 and 8, skated with red walkers as they had trouble staying up.
Dia Carabajal, president of the Arts Council board, was handing out 50-50 lottery tickets in front of the rink.
“This is the type of lifestyle people enjoy,” she said. “It's an important event for the community.”
While the rec center was packed, she said the turnout was a bit light compared to the approximately 500 to 700 people usually attending the annual event. Families were having fun and there was something for all ages.
Dia's niece, Nancy Hunt, an 11th grader at Weedsport High School, was helping Lizzy Fennessy, a science major at SUNY Binghamton, who painted a dragon and a skull on Cody Smith, 7, a first grader at Herman Avenue Elementary School in Auburn.
Beth Anne Moskov, sister of David Moskov, Auburn High School football coach, had come home from Ghana, where she has lived the past three years. Her two children, Madeline, 1, and Nicholas, 11, were enjoying the snow, which Beth Anne was hoped for. She will return to a hot, dry season after the holidays and said they hadn't prepared for this weather.
Henry Moskov, 3, was busy making a crown for the New Year's Eve celebration and had a football painted on his cheek. His sisters Grace, 5, Abbie, 10, and brother Charlie, 7, enjoyed watching students from the Absolute Dance company perform to “Silent NIght” under the direction of Yvonne Villano-Hassett.
Ellie Beck, one of the event's originators and Cayuga County Council of the Arts board member, spoke of how it began.
“A group of us felt the New Year should be celebrated as a family event,” she said.
The idea was to impart an Old World flavor by making masks and enjoying puppetry, much as people did in Europe.
Coffee and hot cocoa warmed everyone's bodies and spirits, courtesy of the Auburn Doubledays.
“We wanted to make it all interactive,” Beck said, with performances encouraging audience participation.
Resolution writing was an example of engaging people, she said. Partygoers wrote resolutions, put them in self-addressed envelopes, and in June, their resolutions will come in the mail to keep them on track, Beck said.
A highlight, especially for the children, was The Open Hand Theater of Syracuse's performance of “The Secret of the Puppet's Book.”
Children circling the two performers, Andrea Martin and Vladimir Vasyagin, were encouraged to interact by helping Louis the frog read the word “Children” on the cover of a book, and “Atlas.” A huge rhinocerous, giraffe, dancing books and the face of a grumpy old man, topped off with a talking crescent moon, made this a magical experience for all who watched.
A horse-drawn wagon, provided by Charles Minturn, carted revelers through the falling snow around Casey Park, and there was a constant line.
A fireworks display by Telstar was scheduled as was Bob Lyna for 30 minutes of non-stop drumming.
Auburn Fire Department's ladder truck began lowering a silver tinsel ball of light in the parking lot, counting down to midnight and lighting up the red tinsel 2009 sign made by Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES students.
“It's Auburn's Times Square,” Beck said.
“We have had to scale back this year to have this happen,” Beck said. “Local businesses were hit hard. It's been a tough year for everybody.”
She acknowledged contributions from the Stardust Foundation, Auburn Party Rental, Cayuga County Stop DWI, and the Doubledays.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
