First Night to draw crowd downtown

December 31, 2010 at 12:08a.m.

Youngstown

First Night Youngstown continues to draw crowds downtown on New Year’s Eve.

In its 11th year, the event begins at 5 p.m. today with opening ceremonies at St. Columba Cathedral on West Wood Street and includes the lighting and send-off of 25 sky lanterns, which are small, paper hot-air balloons, said Councilman John R. Swierz, D-7th, who is president of First Night Youngstown.

Swierz said 11 of the lanterns will be lit to signify 11 years of the event, and one additional lantern for good luck.

A 30-minute interfaith service will follow at 5:15 p.m,

Swierz said he thinks a variety of events and entertainment paired with expectations of good weather will bring people out to the event.

“We have a whole host of entertainment, and 50 percent of it is new this year,” he said. “We have bands, and we have traditional things like the family skate at the Covelli Centre.”

Admission buttons are $10 ($5 for children and students with ID; free for seniors), available at City Center One, Suite 150, 100 E. Federal St.; the Arms Family Museum, 648 Wick Ave.; St. Columba Hall, West Wood Street at Elm; Masonic Temple, first floor, Wick Avenue at Rayen; Choffin Career Center; 20 Federal Place (former Phar-Mor Building); SMARTS Center, 258 W. Federal St. in the DeYor Performing Arts Center; Burt Building; the new Mahoning Valley Historical Society headquarters on West Federal Street at Vindicator Square; Oakland Center for the Arts, West Boardman Street; Covelli Centre; and First Night Youngstown headquarters, 100 E. Federal St. at Champion Street.

Free parking is available at several locations throughout downtown but not at the Covelli Centre, where the fireworks display will be set up. A shuttle service will make rounds to all venues.

Swierz said First Night Youngstown, which is family-friendly and alcohol-free, is an opportunity for parents to bring their children out to celebrate in a way that is safe and appropriate.

“We belong to First Night USA, and that’s part of their mission statement,” he said. “We afford the family the opportunity to involve their kids and felt that was the alternative we wanted to provide the citizens of Youngstown and the region.”

Activities for children will be centered at the SMARTS Center from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Covelli Centre will be open for ice skating from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Featured musical acts at the Youngstown event include Sidekicks, a female barbershop-quartet comedy act from Poland, which will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Masonic Temple on Wick Avenue. After the quartet will be acoustic guitarist Brian Henke of Cleveland.

“The reality is, the price is right for the amount of entertainment we provide,” Swierz said.