Happy Ending

The Party is WCNY’s splashy way of celebrating 2010 and welcoming 2011

The end of 2010 is in clear view and 2011 is so close you can almost touch it. You know what that means: New Year’s. What are your plans this New Year’s Eve? If you haven’t decided yet, here are some ideas.

Option 1: Sit at home in bed in front of the telly in your long johns, and toast the New Year with some boxed wine and your cat. Cheers, Mr. Bigglesworth!

Option 2: Head down the street to the local bar, and spend the night trying to avoid that pile of you-don’t-know-what on the floor, the couple in the corner who seem to be taking the phrase “bringing in the new year with a bang” a little too literally for your taste, and the fellow who insists that really, you just need one more shot.

Option 3: Don your New Year’s best duds and get downtown to the Oncenter to celebrate the night in style at The Party.

Local public broadcasting station WCNY- Channel 24 is inviting the local community to celebrate on Friday, Dec. 31, from 8:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m., with a live telecast of the event starting at 11 p.m.. Live music will be provided by popular local band Atlas, a group that has shared the stage with bands such as Earth, Wind & Fire and Barenaked Lades, and has been providing entertainment for festivals, weddings, nightclubs and more since 1981.

The Party will also include delicious food and an open bar, not to mention the must-have champagne toast at midnight. “This is an opportunity to have a party people could attend rather than watch TV,” says Rosie Taravella, WCNY’s vice president of corporate advancement.

WCNY typically holds annual TV auctions to raise funds, such as the Travel Auction and TelAuc. The 2011 Travel Auction, for instance, will be in its 16th year, and will air Jan. 14 to 16 and Jan. 21 and 22. Folks will get a chance to bid on vacations both close to home and around the world.

But The Party provides a more hands-on approach for revelers. “TelAuc raises money, but it doesn’t give us a chance to go out and have a great event that we could actually throw open the doors and invite our viewers to party with us,” Taravella says.

And party they will but with the twist of raising funds for the public broadcasting station that makes its home in Liverpool until it relocates to the Near West Side. “Our event does indeed benefit WCNY, but that’s where any resemblance to a fund-raiser ends,” says Robert J. Daino, president and CEO of WCNY. “The Party will have no speeches or awards—just a chance to celebrate the New Year, and video tributes that feature some of the great accomplishments in Central New York during 2010.”

Throughout the night, both those who attend The Party and folks tuning in to WCNY at home will be the first to see the good-news profiles. “The stories will include a couple of local community foundations and their ability to help some non-profit projects even though the economy has been down,” Taravella says. “Expansion with health institutions. All great sports that happened in town: The Jets came to Cortland, and Syracuse basketball was such a hit last year.”

Those stories will also feature the community development that has bloomed in the city in areas such as the Near West Side. The growth of the Near Westside Initiative, a group fighting to combine the power of art, technology and innovation with neighborhood values and culture to revitalize Syracuse’s Near West Side neighborhood will be honored.

The vignettes also will spotlight the arts and culture of Central New York. “There will be a wonderful montage of all the public art,” Taravella says. “We’re really doing what we can to feature art, and show how vibrant some of our local art companies are as well.” Viewers and attendees will also hear about what’s new with sustainability. “There’s so much green technology and innovation happening in our community,” Taravella adds. “And we’re doing a few nice things about that as well.”

Coverage of The Party starts at 8:30 p.m., but WCNY will be cutting between the national PBS feed of Live from Lincoln Center. At 11 p.m., The Party will be in full broadcast with the good-news stories being shown on the air and in the ballroom. Further entertainment will be courtesy of Atlas, Bruno Schirripa on comedy and holiday desserts from Lebanese chef Julie Ann Sageer, also known as Julie Taboulie.

Tickets for the event cost $135 a person.

There are also opportunities to sponsor a table for 10, and corporate sponsorships with marketing benefits. Since WCNY is a non-profit organization, approximately half the ticket price is tax deductible. Tickets can be bought online at www.wcny.org or by calling 453-2424.

So consider The Party when planning your New Year’s Eve. “We want to ring in the new year in a positive way,” Taravella says, “meet our viewers and listeners, and have fun with them face to face.”