Are you looking for someplace to take the wife and kids this New Year’s Eve? There are many ways that you and the whole gang can ring in 2010 in style across New Hampshire.

First Night has its roots in the bicentennial celebrations held in Boston in 1976. That year, various civic-minded artists and performers got together to create an alcohol-free and family-friendly alternative to the traditional New Year’s Eve revels. As it stands right now, there are two New Hampshire communities that celebrate the turning of the calendar in this fashion – Portsmouth and Wolfeboro.

Portsmouth has been holding its own party since 1986 and shows no sign of slowing down. The roster includes theatrical events, ice sculptures, puppet shows, fireworks and much more.

Your “ticket” to all of these events is the First Night Portsmouth 2010 button. These buttons can be purchased at Hannaford’s on Islington Street in Portsmouth, Seacoast branches of Ocean Bank and the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce. The adult button price is $20 if purchased on New Year’s Eve. There is also a special offer of an adult button plus a First Night poster for $15, available atthe First Night offices, 500 Market St., Portsmouth. Additionally, there is a special “Stocking Stuffer” package for two adult and two children’s buttons for $20. This last offer is available online only at www.proportsmouth.org/FNPButton.cfm.

Wolfeboro, not to be outdone, is pulling out the stops on its own celebration this year.

First Night Wolfeboro will feature musical, dance and theatrical events, as well as ice sculptures, a parade, face painting, fireworks, a ball drop and even a portable planetarium.

As with the Portsmouth event, admission is by button only. Adult buttons are $10 and children 10 or younger are admitted free when accompanied by a button-wearing adult. Buttons are available in Wolfeboro at The Wolfeboro Area Chamber of Commerce; Stay Tuned; The Wolfeboro Inn; Penny Candy Shop; Great Waters Music Festival Office; TD Bank; The Windrifter Resort; Hampshire Pewter; Black’s Paper Store & Gift Shop; Meredith Village Savings Bank; The Country Bookseller; Ocean Bank and Harvest Market. In Tuftonboro, you can get them at the Tuftonboro General Store or Tuftonboro Jam Session. In Alton Bay, you can find them in Amilyne’s Corner Market, and visiting Profile Bank in Alton will get you a button. Tramway Artisans in Ossipee have buttons, as does the Irving Circle K in Union. More information can be found by visiting firstnight.wolfeboro.net

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, you might want to check out Dover Family New Year’s Eve Celebration at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire. Children and their families are invited to ring in the new year a little early at the museum’s daytime celebration. Three “countdowns to midnight” will be held at 11 a.m. and 12:30 and 2 p.m., replete with a glittering ball drop and ginger ale toasts all round. For more details, contact the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington St., Dover,. Tickets for adults and children are $8; seniors are $7, and children younger than a year old are admitted free. For more details and to purchase tickets, call 742-2002 or visit online.

Pats Peak, at 686 Flanders Road, Henniker, is holding its own New Year’s Eve celebration with skiing, tubing, snowboarding, a two-hour comedy show, live band, tasting stations and fireworks at midnight.
Tickets for the party and skiing are $90 per adult and $50 for children and seniors. For the party alone, tickets are $70 for adults and $35 for children and seniors. For more information, call 428-3245 or visit patspeak.com.

Last, but not least, there’s a “Cranapalooza” to be held at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway. Here, too, there is night skiing and tubing, live entertainment and games for the entire family.
To cap the evening off, there are fireworks at midnight. For more details, contact Cranmore Mountain, 1 Skimobile Road, North Conway at cranmore.com, or call 356-5543.

So, there are a few suggestions to spend winding the old year down and welcoming in the new. Just be sure to bundle up tightly, drive carefully and come home safely.

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