First Night Casper Returns For New Years Eve

First-Night Casper returns bringing an alternative event to downtown as we wrap up 2012 and welcome in 2013.

Heide Foy is executive director of the 12-24 Club, host of the event. She says last year they sold over 500 entrance buttons and they look to double that this year.

The event starts around 5 pm Monday evening and features nine venues with over 25 live performances scheduled.

"The performance at each venue will all start at 5 oclock and there are 7 different thirty minute performances with 15 minutes between each one. That will allow people opportunity to get to another venue or perhaps refill their hot chocolate, whichever."

First-Night Casper is a fund raiser for the 12-24 club. That's the place in Casper dedicated to all aspects of substance abuse recovery. Foy says the funds will help them pay for new and continuning programs.

"We have a couple of new programs that we're launching after the new year. One of them is the Recovery Resource Center and the second is, Project Regain, which is a a job training and life skills program for people in recovery. So, the money that we raise from First Night will help with those programs and also help us to provide the services that we offer on a regular basis right now."

Foy says the two big new things going on this Monday evening are an ice carving demonstration and an interactive ice village. Foy says the ice arrived on Friday afternoon on six pallets, 2500 pounds a piece.