First Night 2008

Photos and text by Patricia Guth

It was a special year for the folks that organize Newtown's New Year's Eve extravaganza known as First Night.
Many of them have been an integral part of the festivities since its humble beginnings in 1998, when several hundred people tentatively purchased buttons and made their way through venues in Newtown Borough and Township, enjoying family-themed entertainment sans alcohol and all the other vices often associated with unruly New Year's Eve parties.
Today, 10 years later, it's not unusual for Newtown First Night to attract somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 spectators, mostly young families who are looking for alternative ways to spend this special evening with their kids. But there was certainly no shortage of teens, pre-teens, and older couples who came to First Night to enjoy good music, tasty food, and exciting fireworks before going home to watch "the ball" drop in Times Square.