Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1439653
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 29, 2021 - JANUARY 4, 2022 UCW 13 "e circus arrives without warn- ing," writes Erin Morgenstern in her New York Times bestselling book, "e Night Circus." At dusk, on Dec. 31st, on the lawn of Festival Park, just a stone's throw from downtown Fayetteville, the circus is coming to town. is circus will not be the regular circus with striped tents, clowns or elephants but rather a night circus. With it comes fire breathers, jugglers, stilt walkers and an assortment of food and spirits — enough entertainment to keep curiosity peaked and crowds amped. is New Year's Eve, the Night Circus will be open, but it will open for one night only. e saying goes, nothing good happens after 10 p.m. However, in this case, for this one night, Bianca Shoneman, President and CEO of Cool Spring Downtown District, promises this won't be the case. e Cool Spring Downtown District and the City of Fayetteville are throwing a New Year's Eve party to remember. Night Circus: A District New Year's Eve Spectacular is set to be a night full of fantastical artists, food and throwback tunes for all the '90s mu- sic lovers out there. Shoneman says a New Year's Eve event of this magnitude has not happened in more than a decade. is event will include a '90s dance party that starts around 10 p.m. with headliners Coolio, Rob Base, C + C Music Factory and All-4-One. "We felt like we could all use some good cheer," Shoneman said. "I think the goal of the city council is to create a new tradition … We were looking to do something dif- ferent than the standard festival you might see." And, according to Shoneman, it takes a lot of money to pull off an event like this — $165,000, to be exact. Part of allocating those funds includes commissioning a long-term asset, an 18-foot star, that will be raised to the sky on New Year's Eve. "Since we represent the Can-Do City, instead of dropping something like many communities do, we are going to lift the star because we have an up-and-coming spirit." e plan this New Year's Eve is to lift the star 110 feet into the air at the stroke of midnight, and simultane- ously, fireworks will ignite, and a sign that reads America's Can-Do City will light up. e star was constructed by local sign makers, Blashfield Sign Com- pany. Owner, Matt Blashfield, noted that the star is an odd one-of-a-kind item, very precise in design and con- struction and at times, production was arduous. e star itself took 45 days and $45,000 to construct and is exactly 18-feet tall from each point on the star. "It was a challenge with all the material and shipping delays the world is experiencing … We did this thing together. It was the epitome of teamwork," Blashfield said. e City officials hope this event will foster a sense of community and ignite a new annual tradition for Cumberland County. Tammy urman, Senior Commu- nity and Local Government Man- ager for Piedmont Natural Gas, a sponsor of the event, explained that in contrast, community members are used to traveling and watching other cities and states celebrate the new year; the community can now celebrate it in their own city. is addition to Fayetteville's liv- ability is just the sort of thing Shone- man said she and others who work for the city aim to achieve. "People are starting to believe in the life, work, play, shop here … this notion of creating a great place to live that we've been working on for years. e city is creating a more liv- able community," Shoneman said. ey have also planned a smaller; no fireworks included, star lift around 9 p.m. for those families with little ones they want to tuck safely into bed before midnight. is portion of the night will incorporate music from local DJs, including Fayetteville's only female turntablist, DJ Miracle. At 10 p.m., the other musicians will take over, and the music will change. Shone- man and others are hoping the event will be well-attended. If it is, she says they are looking to use the Night Circus in years to come. "At this point, we hope the theme sticks. It's such a good theme. I hope it's well-received," she said. e event will include carnival games, LED jugglers, fire breathers, magicians, aerialists, a Ferris Wheel and a carousel. ere will be 11 food providers, and three beer tents and champagne bottles will be available for purchase. Food trucks and wine and beer vendors will take both cards and cash. Night Circus will start at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 and run until 12:30 a.m. January 1, 2022. e event is free to all. Mechanical rides and carni- val games will also be available for a fee. Attendees can find parking in service lots around downtown Fayetteville for $5. ere will also be a free shuttle running from Fort Bragg to the event from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. For addi- tional information on the event call 910-223-1089. Night Circus: A District New Year's Eve Spectacular set to be a night full of fantastical fun by KATHLEEN RAMSEY COVER STORY KATHLEEN RAMSEY, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484-6200.