STATE COLLEGE — Thousands will descend on downtown State College and the Penn State campus New Year’s Eve to celebrate First Night State College, a yearly, alcohol-free community celebration of the visual and performing arts.
“We’re just about all set and ready to go. We have to be,” Rick Bryant, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, the parent organization to First Night, said Dec. 23. “We have a big variety of things going on, from the musical entertainment to the ice sculptures and ice skating and so much more.”
According to Bryant, the First Night Committee has produced the family-friendly downtown event each year since 1993. However, the roots of the program date back to 1976, when it was celebrated in Boston as an outgrowth of America’s Bicentennial Celebration. For the next six years, First Night was celebrated exclusively in Boston, until 1982, when First Night Virginia was founded in Charlottesville, Va.
According to Bryant, more than 50 communities now have added the First Night celebration as an alternate way to ring in the New Year.
“I don’t think there’s a better way to celebrate the ending of a year and the beginning of a new one than First Night,” said Bryant. “It’s been a very successful event in the past, and there’s no reason to believe this year’s event won’t be the same, if not better.
“We all feel fortunate to bring this type of event to the community. It’s a safe alternative to how many people celebrate New Year’s Eve.”
Perhaps the biggest draw to the event is the ice sculptures — and there will be plenty to see this year. Bryant said more than 10 tons of ice will be transformed into more than 100 creations, all under the direction of sculptor Ernie DiMartino.
The large walls and sculptures are created from blocks produced through a special freezing process to make them crystal clear. These blocks are manufactured by DiMartino Ice, of Jeanette, and Strickler Ice Co., of Huntingdon.
“We’re hoping the weather gets a little colder when the ice comes in,” Bryant said as the thermometer was reaching into the 40s. “If not, I guess we’ll have a display of melting sculptures.
“I guess we’ll just have to take what Mother Nature gives us.”
The carving will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Most of the large creations will be on display in the 100 block of South Allen Street. He said the popular PNC Bank Russian Ice Slide will be located in Sidney Friedman Park.
Displays of smaller, one-block ice sculptures will be placed in front of local sponsoring businesses and in the Mayor Welch Plaza, as well as in Sidney Friedman Park. Bryant said there will be more smaller business-sponsored sculptures than in years past.
First Night State College will see its final performance by puppeteer Carolyn Koerber. Koerber will present her unique show, “The Talking Stone,” at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. at Days Inn Penn State
Other live shows include Mr. Music Lenny Tepsich, “The Prince and Princess New Year’s Ball” by the State College Area High School Thespians, a master juggling performance by Gizmo Guys and acrobatic performances by Yang Xiao Di.
Several live music performances are also on the schedule, including material by Jackie Brown and the Gill Street Band, the Deacons of Dixieland, Biscuit Jam and Tussey Mountain Moonshiners. A number of other bands and ensembles are also scheduled to perform.
Those looking to make a New Year’s resolution — or reflect back on one made in previous years — are encouraged to visit the many resolution sculptures that will be on display in the lobby of the State College Municipal Building, in Sidney Friedman Park and on the 100 block of South Allen Street.
The First Night Committee has also scheduled several arts and crafts workshops for children.
All outdoor activities at First Night are free to attend; however, those wishing to attend any indoor performance or workshop must have a 2017 First Night State College button. These buttons cost $10 each and are available at the door of the events and at select downtown businesses. Children ages 12 and younger will be permitted into events free if they are accompanied by a badge-holding adult.
Also on the schedule is the 5K Resolution Run; the Grand Procession at 6:30 p.m., which starts at St. Andrews Episcopal Church and continues up Fraser Street to College Avenue; carriage rides through the downtown beginning at 7 p.m.; and ice skating at Pegula Ice Area throughout the evening.
“Something nice about this year is there is no fee for renting skates at Pegula Arena,” said Bryant. “The ice skating has become the most popular thing at First Night.”
Centre Area Transportation Authority will offer free and fully accessible White Loop service from 4:30 to 11:30 p.m., with buses departing every 10 minutes.
First Night State College is sponsored in part by the Borough of State College with grant support from the Centre County Commissioners and the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information, visit the www.firstnightstatecollege.com, see the official program guide published by Barash Media or call (814) 237-3682.
