Organizers of First Night Saratoga are anticipating a strong turnout for this year’s 13th annual celebration. The alcohol-free, family-oriented citywide party will incorporate the successes of years past with new twists. The theme for 2009 is Fire and Ice.
Saratoga YMCA officials who put on First Night unveiled this year’s plans on Monday, Dec. 1, and said that with 14,000 First Night admission buttons for sale, Saratoga Springs will once again be the biggest party in New York outside of Times Square.
`It’s such a different activity on a night that’s usually focused on partying,` said Maureen Duda, YMCA’s First Night Coordinator. `We’re excited to be spreading all over town this year.`
Three locations in Saratoga State Park will be added: The Saratoga Auto Museum, the Administration Building and the Little Theater. Events in the park will culminate at 9:40 p.m., when the Cosmic Karma fire dancers set fire to a 24-foot tall `eight` to symbolize leaving ’08 behind and welcoming 2009.
The midnight hour, however, will once again be celebrated with fireworks. Construction of a new hotel behind city hall will move the festivities to Congress Park, though.
The First Night Saratoga 5K Run will kick off at 5:30 p.m. at Skidmore College and simultaneously halfway around the world, when 50-plus members of the Army serving in Afghanistan will run their own early-morning leg of the race. The operation is the brainchild of Matthew Armstrong, now serving in Afghanistan, a former Spa City resident whose family resides in Clifton Park. Armstrong ran the race in years past.
`Just out of the blue, he e-mailed me a month or two ago,` explained Duda, who said that the possibility of simulcasting the start of the race in Afghanistan for downtown revelers is being explored. The race always fills up, but there are still a few spots left in the 1,000-runner roster.
As the race kicks off, so will the festivities as a whole, with fire dancers and The African Experience Drummers at the Saratoga City Center. From there, the festivities will spread out to 35 locations across the city.
Helping visitors and locals alike get around will be the CDTA. They’ve partnered with First Night for the third consecutive year and five city bus routes will be free to ride from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., as will one special First Night route. Over 5,000 people took advantage of free bus rides last year.
`No one can get lost, because a bus will always get you back to Broadway,` said Carm Basile, CDTA business development director, adding that Dec. 31 is a great night to try out the bus service. `We’re hoping they ride more than one time a year,` he said.
First Night buttons will be available at a number of retailers, include Price Chopper Markets, Boscov’s and Stewarts shops. They’ll also be on sale at the Saratoga YMCA on West Avenue and their website: ymcasaratoga.org. A button good for admission to all the night’s festivities costs $15, and children under five are free.
There are 14,000 tickets available, and that amount has sold out in years past. One way to ensure a free pass is to volunteer ` organizers said that about 175 more volunteers will be needed on top of the 125 committed individuals, especially with the event’s larger footprint.“