About First Night . . .

When it was announced that the Big Apple Circus would be performing at the First Night 2011 celebration this New Year's Eve in Montclair, New Jersey, I thought, "Wow, that's astonishing! Montclair is still having a First Night celebration this year?"

Well, maybe not. The ongoing economic slump and drastic cuts in municipal budgets of even an upscale suburb like Montclair, New Jersey, have cast doubt on its ability to have a First Night celebration of any kind this year. The Big Apple Circus is in fact a big name in these parts, and landing them for First Night is a major coup, but so far that's all the organizers can afford. They can't even pay for police protection, promotional materials, or ticket printing. Marc Dashield, Montclair's township manager, had hoped that the town could stage a pared-down celebration, but with time passing quickly and little planning having been made, hope is dimming. They don't even have a cultural affairs coordinator in Montclair anymore; that position was eliminated in a mass municipal layoff. On top of that, vendors involved in such big events want their money up front, even as it takes the municipality that's organizing the whole darn thing months to get the necessary approvals and the like.

So, eh, how much money have the First Night organizers raised? A paltry $20,000. That's enough to buy a base Hyundai Sonata. It's also enough, apparently, to book a big-name act for a First Night celebration, but not enough to pay for anything else.

Look, I'm no municipal budget expert, but if you have twenty grand to spend, and you're still bringing in donations from folks who don't want to see First Night go down in flames, but it's still not enough to book the Big Apple Circus and pay for everything else, well, how about this for an idea? Ditch the Big Apple Circus! We don't need Grandma the Clown and all that lot! Spend the money you have on putting it together, not attracting big-name entertainers! Get small-time entertainers to donate their time and talents! They're just as good, they're just not as famous! I myself know several performing artists who might be interested. Heck, Montclair has plenty of entertainers among its population. They also have plenty of empty stores to have the performances in! So get the landlords involved!

You know, this reminds me of a story about how Lionel Richie planned to have big names appear on his second solo album, but he ditched the idea when he realized that getting big pop stars to make guest appearances on his record was less important than finding musicians who could best serve his songs. That album ended up winning a Grammy and producing three hit singles. So, maybe having the Big Apple Circus for First Night is less important than actually having a First Night. Because without First Night, folks will be spending New Year's Eve either going out and drinking or staying at home and watching the ball drop in Times Square while munching on bite-size egg rolls from the toaster oven. Because for many people, First Night is the only real public gathering opportunity for New Year's Eve under any circumstances.

Sorry, Grandma.