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Show DAILY HERALD A2 Saturday, January 1, 2005 PROVO'S NEW YEAR CELEBRATION lO 7 V '"'?Siiiilil ' , 2005 JL it S At'Hi if t 4 T:: Photos by Studio A Children's Choir sings the National Anthem during the opening show of the "We were really pleased with how everything turned out, and we are excited about next year." First Night Continued from A l Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints provided dozens of pirate-theme- games and d activities for hundreds of children in the tent. Mitchell Green, a from Salt Lake City, sported a face painting of a parrot on his check as he walked through First Night with his dad. "I got an eye patch in the tent," he said. "And I got a balloon, but it flew away." Teenagers slowly gath- ered in the closed intersection of Center Street and University Avenue. While ' ' n FRANK BOTTDaily Herald in downtown Provo. Hhpf 7 j ; Sarah Bell festival director many huddled near heaters in a nearby tent, they said nothing would keep t hem from the teen dance. "I'm here to hang out with boys and exchange phone numbers," Jessica Morgan, a freshman at Provo High, said. "It's OK. I already told my mom that is why I am here." Jordan Ostler, also a Provo High student, said she is glad Provo offers a place for her and her friends to celebrate the new year. "Like, not a lot of people want to just hang out with their families on New she said. "But this way we can get out of the house, and our parents know where we are." , Orem resident Paula brought her three children to First Night for the first time this year. Her kids made hats and necklaces, . and she said she was surprised there was such nice stuff for the kids to make or play with at the event. Her young daughter Kylie was fascinated by the ballerinas performing the Nut-- . cracker from window's in the NuSkin building. "I saw the Barbie Nutcracker at home," she said. "But this is different. They are dancing in the windows. They are wearing tutus." Other small downtown events drew crowds this year as they got people out of the cold. Although not affiliated with First Night, the Center Street Musical Theatre offered live Broadway music and a dinner and brought people into town for the big night. Robert Denton drove his wife and two friends down from Salt Lake City to catch , Jor-gens- First Night celebration the dinner theater. "We were so impressed," he said. "There was a girl not more than 16 years old, and she had a set of pipes. Wow. She was amazing. We'll comeback soon." The inaugural First Night Film Festival also pulled crowds from the rain. The festival featured 11 short films from local residents, a reception with local filmmakers and a screening of the new Halestrom Entertainment film "Sons of ' Provo." documenAn tary about the XBox game Halo 2 and its effect on its players won over the crowd and took home a first place award from the event. Dave Skousen, one of the film's directors, said a group ' of his friends filmed the movie two weeks ago and finished editing last weekend. "Apartment 23," a third-plac- e winner at the festival, was filmed this year with local actor Andy Bean, but it was never intended for a festival audience. "We had to introduce our apartment at ward prajer, so we made a video," director Tanner Christensen said. "It is not the best one here, but it was for sure the best ward prayer. They askt J neople to be more reverent ah our McKenna Martinet left, along with her sister, Emily Martinez, work on face masks and head dressings in one of the warm tents during the First Night celebration in downtown Provo. ' video." Young filmmaker David Moon won first prize in the youth category for his video, "Contraption Kid." Festival director Sarah Bell said there was a "great turn-.out- " " I ' this year. "We were really pleased with how everything turned out, and we are excited about next year," she said. First Night activities ran until past midnight with a countdown, fireworks display and multiple dances scattered across several blocks. I Jill Fellow can be or reached at jfellowheraldextra.com. 344-254- 9 right Crystal Hadlock loofes pieces of art in the Provo Art Center on Center Street in Provo. Crystal is celebrating First Night by attending the local film festival. At left, children dance with the Red Cross' First Aid dog during the celebration held throughout "At downtown Provo. , . |