First Night welcomes new year online

Angela Bauer, abauer@myjournalcourier.com Published 1:09 am CST, Wednesday, December 30, 2020 When Springfield Area Arts Council considered plans in the spring for its New Year’s Eve First Night event, it wasn’t clear the year would finish on a high note. “Earlier on, in the spring, we wondered if we could manage,” said Sheila Walk, the council’s executive director. “So many of our live programs during the summer … those all got COVID-canceled or pandemic-postponed, whatever term you want to use. The board and I talked about whether we should try something. We decided, ‘Yes, it’s our holiday tradition. It’s our 34th year. COVID isn’t going to stop this.’” With that settled, Walk started talking with other First Night cities nationwide as organizers of each event tried to get a feel for what the others were thinking. Ellen Martin, executive director of First Night in Monterey, California, grew up in Springfield, and she and Walk quickly made a connection. Email exchanges and phone or video conferences with about half of the nearly three dozen remaining First Night cities began. By November, Walk, Martin and the First Night organization in St. Petersburg, Florida, had decided to try a new first — sharing their…
Read More