Oil City's
First Night celebration saw thousands of area residents kick off the New
Year at venues throughout the city.
The
celebration was probably one of the finest, said Lynn Pacior-Malys, First
Night coordinator, who predicted between 3,000 and 5,000 attended at least
one of the night's many attractions.
"From the
set-up to clean-up it was one of the easiest shows we've ever done," she
said. "Everyone clicked and it came together seamlessly."
Pacior-Malys
admitted Monday's mild weather may have encouraged more residents to head
out and experience the celebration.
Also drawing
a large crowd were the parade's newest, and perhaps loudest, members - Oil
City High School's drum major and the school's entire drum line.
"That made a
big difference," she said. "The (big sound) brought more people in. It
pepped up the procession."
One of the
most popular places to drop in was the YWCA, where world-class fiddler
April Verch preformed to capacity crowds.
"I would say
perhaps that was the most popular, agreed Libby Williams, chairperson of
the Arts Council. She said Verch has played the area before, which may
have helped fill seats for her two performances.
Another big
draw, according to Pacior-Malys, was the ever-popular dog show at the
Knights of Columbus.
Williams said
that many large crowds lasted throughout the night, with about 70 people
at the Venango Museum alone at 11 p.m. to watch a performance by organist
Scott Foppiano.
"My
perception was that (the entire celebrations) was every bit as busy as
last year if not more," Williams said.
"It's
obviously something Oil City wants," said Dennis Lavery, a First Night
committee co-chair. He explained that community support grows yearly and
the event "just gets more solid every year."
Pacior-Malys
added that more first-time celebration goers attended than in years past,
something she sees as vital to the future of First Night.