Harvard’s First, First Night, a gala fundraiser on New Year’s Eve put on by the Friends of the Council on Aging, was a success, both socially and monetarily, and it set the bar high for what the Friends group hopes will become a tradition. There were 97 attendees ranging in age from 20 to 80, many of whom stayed until midnight to welcome in the new year. The committee reported that they made in the vicinity of $3,000, what Friends board member Pat Jennings called “a great start for our new tradition.”
Though the weather was frosty Dec. 31, inside UU Fellowship Hall at 7 Elm St., which had undergone a festive and elegant transformation, it was warm and cheerful. Several large paper clocks decorated the foyer and hallway, and black top hats sparkled on tabletops and on the heads of volunteers passing platters of light hors d’oeuvres. In the main room, tables bedecked with centerpieces of tuxedoed bottles, lights, and balloons surrounded a dance floor. And for anyone wishing to appear more dapper, stick-on mustaches were available on the tables.
Buckets of ice were set up in the meeting room, and people could cool their wine or beer among a few bottles of champagne. Bowls of mixed nuts and candies seemed to be on all tabletops. Later in the evening was a buffet of hors d’oeuvres that were “hearty,” as advertised—meatballs, fried shrimp, chicken on a stick. The desserts were abundant, with mini-tarts, cheesecake, and plates of assorted holiday cookies.
Maria Day dons a party hat at First Night. (Courtesy photo)
Steve Peisch and his band Time Traveler played a mix of old-style rhythm and blues and rock. Peisch said he, the guitarist, and the drummer have played together a lot and had a band called Blue Box Set that opened for groups such as Beatlejuice and The Fools. Peisch shared the mic with Littleton County Road resident Suzanne Buell, who said she’s been singing since she was 5 years old. That explains her fabulous voice and her current job as an early childhood music teacher. Buell is also a featured artist with gospel choirs and choruses across the country, as well as a lead vocalist for JP and Friends, a Boston-based professional band. Peisch said he had promised “a dance party,” and indeed the music made it hard to sit still. The dancing space was filled most of the evening, with all ages rocking out. Toward midnight a fleet of white helium balloons with faces on them (courtesy of Rosemary and Joe Theriault) was let loose and batted among the dancers.
The Friends board deserves credit for having the imagination and optimism to launch a fundraiser on such a grand scale and to publicize it as the start of a tradition. Jennings said establishing an event that would be an annual source of money for the COA had long been a goal of the Friends, but nothing had gelled. She credits fellow board member Pat Cooper with coming up with the New Year’s Eve idea late in the fall and creating the logo to use for publicity, tickets, and decorations. Once the board members agreed, they committed 100 percent to the effort. Publicity by Jennings, Jeff Boudreau, Pam Erdos, and others hyped the event to be a community gathering, precluding the image of a stodgy event for old people. Everything from ticket sales to decorating to food was well organized. One might have thought this was the 10th time, not the first, that this event had been held.
Twenty-somethings Annie Cooper and Kelly O’Shea pose for a selfie. (Coutesy photo)
Heidi Siegrist, Friends board member, was in charge of ticket sales, with fellow member Sharon Briggs as tally keeper. People either paid ahead or reserved a spot and paid that evening. Either way, Siegrist gave every guest an envelope with ticket bookmark and a thank-you.
Making the decorations was a collaborative effort. Jennings confessed that she had gone into the inner recesses of the Bromfield basement to borrow the large paper clocks from the Celebration storage room. Whatever after-prom theme they had originally been used for, the clocks were well adapted to the New Year’s Eve event. Cooper made the sparkly top hats that found their places on tables and people’s heads, which extended the logo into the decorations. Seigrist created the centerpieces. Board members helped decorate the hall; other volunteers were Beth Williams, who is COA board liaison to the Friends, Julie Sniffen, Karen Zaikis, Luke Quarles, Mark Cooper, and Erdos. Party lights had been hung by techie helper Boudreau, and Sue Reedich did the signage. Spouses turned up, and, as Jennings said, “Various ‘out of the blue’ people came in to lend a hand.”
Friends Chairwoman Ginger Quarles, Jennings, Cooper, and Carol Lee Tonge did the bulk of the planning, purchasing, preparing, and plating of the food, with lots of other people pitching in. Quarles made sure the shoppers stuck to the budget.
In supplying names of the contributors, Cooper said she was afraid she was missing people. “There were many,” she said. “It’s the only way we could have pulled off a big night in such a short time.” Erdos, whom Cooper called the “heart” of the committee, reflected on the event in an email to the group: “What an extraordinary team effort, with can-do, committed, creative, and inspired leadership. Thank you not only for what was raised monetarily but for raising our spirits in community and our belief in the possible.”
