PRESS CONTACT: ANDREA GARTNER,

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CITYCENTER DANBURY

(203) 792 1711

FOR HOLIDAY RELEASE, PLEASE

FIRST NIGHT DANBURY $5 BUTTONS LET YOU RING IN THE NEW YEAR
WITH MORE THAN 25 GUEST PERFORMERS IN CITY CENTER
+++
5K RUN KICKS OFF NEW YEAR’S EVE EVENTS AT 3:30 P.M.

The theme is “A Hat Full of Magic.” The event is First Night Danbury, the city’s long time
tradition of serving up a New Year’s Eve with family flair, bringing revelers into CityCenter to
share in welcoming another year - 2011. This year, it’s all Magic. With a Hat Full tipped to the
city’s manufacturing legacy and nickname, Hat City. Buttons - only $5 - provide entrance to all
First Night Danbury events, raising the curtain on an evening of Music, Magic, and Merriment.
And since First Night events close with a grand fireworks display at 8:00 p.m., viewed from atop
Bardo Garage, there’s still four hours left ‘til midnight to spend with family and friends, enjoy
late night entertainments in CityCenter, or simply reminisce on the passing year.

First Night family-friendly and alcohol-free programs are presented on New Year’s Eve,
December 31st, between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. throughout CityCenter. A 5K Run Into the
New Year kicks off the festivities at 3:30 p.m. on the Danbury Green. Buttons that provide
entrance to all First Night Danbury events can be purchased for $5 at CityCenter Danbury, 186
Main Street; Caraluzzi's Market, 98 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel; C-Town, 45 North Street,
Danbury; Danbury Senior Center, 10 Elmwood Place; News-Times, 333 Main Street, Danbury;
Union Savings Bank branches; Savings Bank of Danbury branches; and other neighborhood
locations. For more information, visit www.firstnightdanbury.org or call 203 792 1711

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said, “We are expecting a First Night Danbury celebration full
of fun and magic. We are dressing up our Downtown for this community event, and we invite
everyone in the Greater Danbury area to join us in the heart of our city. The whole family will
have something to see and do, including our 2nd annual 5K race beginning and ending in our
CityCenter.”

Andrea Gartner, Executive Director of CityCenter Danbury, First Nightʼs host sponsor, is always
exuberant, anticipating audience reaction to new experiences. “First Night brings together people
of all kinds as a community of one,” she says, “sharing in the anticipation of a new year while
also sharing in a brief moment of no conflict, no worry, and mutual uplift to spirit and
imagination.”
PERFORMERS

Headlining the event is Peter Samelson, the “soft-spoken conceptualist of sorcery” (The New
York Times) and a fixture at Off Broadway’s long running “Monday Night Magic.” He’ll host a
Palace Theater vaudeville, honoring the 1928 downtown centerpiece. Peter has performed atop
the Great Wall of China, in the jungles of Bali and the universities of Tokyo; for Mexican
peasants, Grand Prix race car drivers, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, the jet set of Paris and the
fishermen mending their nets on the beaches of Cartagena. He is truly a magician’s magician

Also look for:

Adam Auslander & Dan Berkley
stilt walkers from the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade & The Greatest Show on
Earth

Arts & Crafts with Kerri LuBell

get your hands into the finger paints, paste, and go creative with a First Night
tradition for kids

Babes on Broadway
Cabaret performer, Susan Mirwis, dons stylized hats to recreate the famous, fabulous,
funny females of the Broadway stage

“Push” Billingsley
hip hop, comic magic from a child who grew up in the clash of the 80’s & 90’s

Miquel Cossio
traditional Mexican visual art installation with a contemporary, colorful flair

Dance Paradise
salsa, tango, hustle - Latin dance classes by NYC-based master teachers

ESCAPE to the Arts

make hats to wear throughout First Night Danbury events to celebrate Hat City

Larkin Grimm
songwriter/songstress goes glam with her unique style of folk and soul

Tom Hooker Hanford

“Chimney Side Tales,” songs & stories of the Winter season by a master raconteur of our
region’s cultural history

Humongo
keep an eye out, we don’t know where this interactive firm will be but they’re
sure to provide high tech shenanigans

Ice Matters
A staple on Library Plaza, this award winning ice carving company always
captures First Night’s theme with artistry and humor
MacTalla Mor
Gaelic for “Great Echo,” the band is Danbury’s own Celtic roots rock & bagpipe
sensation

Mad Hatters Barbershop Chorus

Veterans of 30 years, this popular Danbury a capella offers a rich repertoire of
traditional barbershop, European hymnody, and 19th century vaudeville

Marty the Magician & Zooky the Clown

Entertainment for kids of all ages - not to be missed

Master Lee
kung fu comic uses his black belts in karate to keep his audiences in stiches

New Hope Mass Choir

This Danbury institution has a long history of serving its community with powerful
song, goodwill and amazing grace

Portuguese Traditional Games

An opportunity to experience stilt walking and other traditional Portuguese folk games

Peter Spink & Friends

singer-songwriter-guitarist hailed “impressive” by The New York Times

Bob Stanhope
A First Night favorite, this singer, humorist, and radio personality evokes a very cozy
fireside chat

Sounds of Afrika
African and African-American drumming, stressing unity and the important
message of respecting every culture

Too Human
jazz standards from The Great American Songbook in guitar, percussion, bass and vocals

Mike Freeman’s ZonaVibe

a fiery mix of jazz, fusion, and World music, featuring the little-heard vibraphone

DISCOUNTED ACTIVITIES WITH FIRST NGHT BUTTON

Public Skate at Danbury Arena

Admission is $3 for everyone with a First Night button. If you don’t have your own
skates, you can rent a pair for $4 (5-8pm)

Traditional Dinner at Danbury Museum & Historical Society

 Chicken Stew, Corn Bread, Apple Pie, Hot Cider: $10 per adult, $5 per child with
button; $12 and $7 without (4-6pm)

PARTICIPATING VENUES, DIRECTIONS, & PARKING

Bardo Garage 10 Library Place

Danbury Ice Arena/Danbury Green 1 Independence Way
Danbury Library 170 Main Street
Danbury Museum & Historical
Society 43 Main Street
Danbury Music Centre 256 Main Street
ESCAPE to the Arts 293 Main Street
Heirloom Arts Theater 155 Main Street
at the end of Palace Walk
Ives Manor Ballroom 198 Main Street
Palace Theater 165 Main Street
St. James Church 25 West Street
Union Saving Bank at The Galleria 225 Main Street

By Car Eastbound I-84 - Exit 5 - At the stop sign at the end of the ramp, proceed straight ahead
onto Downs Street to the traffic light. Turn right (southbound) onto Main Street. Go through two
traffic lights and cross over the railroad tracks. Watch for the clock tower in the center of the
Main Street median - this is White Street. At that light, turn left onto White Street. Take a right at
the 3rd light onto Patriot Drive. Take next right onto Independence Way. The Patriot Parking
Garage is on your right.

By Car Westbound I-84 - Exit 5 - At the light at the end of the ramp turn right (southbound) onto
Main Street. Go through two traffic lights and cross over the railroad tracks. Watch for the clock
tower in the center of the Main Street median - this is White Street. At that light, turn left onto
White Street. Take a right at the 3rd light onto Patriot Drive. Take next right onto Independence
Way. The Patriot Parking Garage is on your right.

Street and lot parking for the evening is FREE. Bardo and Patriot Garages are charging a flat $3
rate for the evening. Trains are available through the MTA Metro-North Railroad, Danbury
branch of the New Haven line. Buses are available through Peter Pan bus lines.

5K RUN INTO THE NEW YEAR

The 2010-2011 5K Run Into the New Year, hosted by CityCenter Danbury and the Regional
YMCA, kicks off on Friday, December 31st at 3:30 pm on the Danbury Green. The 5K route,
accessible to participants of all ages, takes runners on a fairly flat out-and-back route on
Downtown’s historic Main Street. The entry fee is $15 through Wednesday, December 22nd, and
$20 thereafter. Register now online through Wednesday, December 29th . Or, register on Race
Day from 2:00-3:00pm at the Danbury Arena, 1 Independence Way adjacent to the Green. There
you can also pick up your Race packets and a First Night Danbury button to provide entrance to
this year’s entertainments. The first 100 registered runners will receive a 5K commemorative T-
shirt. Championship Timing is provided by Road & Track Sport Timing. No personal chips
permitted. A $50 fee will be charged for lost chips. Have Fun & Run Into the New Year!

Register online at http://www.active.com/running/danbury-ct/danbury-5k-run-into-the-new-

year-2010

TO VOLUNTEER

Volunteers make First Night Danbury possible. Volunteer opportunities include: Gift Wrapping
at Sears, with the proceeds going to support First Night Danbury; Runners to help prepare prior
to the start of the event; and Greeters to check for buttons at the events and assist with seating.
Volunteers receive a free First Night button and hours are flexible. If you are interested in
becoming a volunteer at First Night, please contact Stacey Olszewski at 203-270-9461 or
staceyolszewski@yahoo.com or firstnightvolunteer@yahoo.com.

_____________________________________________________________________________
First Night Danbury is sponsored in part, by the Danbury Cultural Commission, Union Savings
Bank, the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, CityCenter Danbury, and local
businesses.

“THERE’S SOMETHING GOING ON DOWNTOWN!”