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Flathead’s premiere of the growing national New Year’s Eve tradition, First Night, started with a bang. Literally. An unidentified woman ran into one of the glass windows at the KM building, shattering both the window and her nose.
Despite the disaster, the party turnout was even better than expected. More than 1,200 buttons were sold, allowing First Night organizers to pay all expenses that came along with the evening.
“It was a mellow and magic night, and very satisfying,” said First Night Flathead board president and FHS English teacher Nancy Rose. “The performers were all so good and everything went so smoothly. It was like walking around with stars in your eyes.”
A big part of First Night’s success was student participation. Student volunteers include sophomore Nick Hudak, juniors Nicky LaVoie and Melanie Francis, seniors Luke Van Helden and Joe Basirico.
Volunteers and audience weren’t the only representatives of FHS at First Night. The event included a local band, Spelling Tuesday, including Hudak on guitar and back-up vocals, Robbie Mottram playing bass, junior Josie Parsons playing the cello and senior Liam Bowler playing lead guitar and vocals.
“The audience was fantastic, and I’m glad so many people showed up, and that I got in free,” said Mottram.
“I thought it was really cool that they offered students an alternative,” said senior Rosie Smith, who read poetry at the event. “It offered such a variety, and it was really cheap. My reading was nerve-wracking but cool, because I got to expose other people to my poetry.”
According to participants and attendees of First Night, it was a success and is an event to look forward to next year.
“All the board, the volunteers, the venues and the performers are what made it all happen,” said Rose. “It was the effort of a lot of people, including the contributors and the student volunteers. They were invaluable.”
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