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First Night Salem is big success
Organizers aren’t sure if a rock theme would work every year, but it did in ’09.
SALEM — First Night Salem had its best year ever in its fifth year, despite bitterly low temperatures and snow.
David Schwartz, one of the First Night organizers, said Monday the family-oriented event even made a profit. “Everything went very well,” he said.
That worked out to about $2,000 in the black, although Schwartz said some performers still have to be paid.
Bill Schilling, a musician and a co-emcee with Schwartz at the Kent City Center, estimated the event would have a balance of $1,500 to $1,800 when the bills are paid.
Schwartz said donations totaled about $25,000.
But things did not look good early on Dec. 31. Schwartz said signs for the locations for various events were blown over in the morning because of high winds.
Events began at 6 p.m., and Schilling said that there was almost no one on the streets until about 8:30 p.m.
The snow finally stopped, and people came out in big numbers, he said.
Most of the major events — including the ball drop to welcome in 2009 — were at the center, which formerly was a Salem school.
Schilling said there were so many people at the center that “we had to put them up in the balcony.”
In the past, various performers and events were located at Salem High School or the Salem Community Center.
This year, the plan was to keep people close to downtown.
Schwartz said he believed that helped bring out participants who could meet and talk to friends between the shows.
The program at the center included the first-ever performance of two veteran Salem rockers who know each other but never played together.
Randy Strader, 65, had performed with Dick Clark’s “Cavalcade of Stars” from 1962 to 1963. His band, Randy and the Renegades, played from 1961 to 1968. John Gilbert, 53, also of Salem, has been performing as Paul McCartney in the Beatles tribute band Abbey Road for decades.
Events at the center were based on old-time rock radio shows starting with the 1950s. Schwartz said that Dottie Aiken Reynolds, who portrayed Patsy Cline, was an early performer who unexpectedly hung around and took part in the grand finale.
Alan Freed, who is credited with creating the phase, “rock ’n’ roll,” attended the school that is now the Kent City Center.
But Schwartz isn’t sure if an annual program focusing on rock music would work.
Still, the event is on a roll.
Schwartz said he had to work on New Year’s Day and stopped at a local restaurant to get breakfast.
People in the restaurant, he said, gave him a round of applause as he entered.
wilkinson@vindy.com