Skip to main content

New Year’s Eve Possibilities

 


Since I seem to have been going all out in the holiday shopping advice this season, I’d like to chime in today with another sort of pitch:




As you know, local responses to supporting food service businesses during the pandemic have prompted some Complicated feelings on my part. I’ve watched a lot of my friends taking advantage of expanded liquor delivery and augmenting/blunting/varying their isolation experiences with premade cocktail options. That’s not what we are doing at our house, and, in fact, I recently got a big charge out of finding a new home for two bottles of wine we had lying around here. 

Don’t get me wrong. My post-pandemic plans involve a feisty IPA from Cured while enjoying an Elevate podcast downtown, and a cold Gin and Tonic at the Chrysalis, preferably while listening to a Columbia Orchestra Pops Concert or some of the perfection that is straight-ahead jazz from Lavenia Nesmith.

Everyone’s choices are different. No lectures here.

But, you will find me going all out to promote this year’s New Year’s Eve event from Sobar. Facebook tells me that exactly one year ago today I was telling you about last year's inaugural event, held at St. John’s Church in Ellicott City. ( Getting the Word Out ) This year's event comes complete with all the virtual options you need to have fun and stay safe and healthy at the same time.

Adding a dynamic, fun alcohol-free event to local NYE options is something that has been clearly overdue in Columbia/HoCo. It gives more opportunities for those living in recovery and their friends and families to have a safe and celebratory experience on the one night of the year when possibilities for alcohol injury and death are at their height.

Sobar is back this year with “Mask”uerade, A Virtual New Year’s Eve Event.


From the press release: 

Ellicott City, MD – Sobar™ will host their second annual New Year’ Eve event VIRTUALLY and proceeds will support guests attending the event from halfway houses and sober living facilities and on-going work to end the stigma and shame of alcoholism and addiction.

This fabulous sober evening of entertainment, activities, and nonstop fun has something for everyone, and access packages are available for small house party groups, families, couples, and singles.

Our event will feature Max Major, appearing LIVE!  This world-class mentalist originally from Sykesville Maryland and recently featured on America’s Got Talent has performed on 4 continents, captivating millions both on-screen and on-stage. His show will amaze us....on ZOOM!

Activity rooms throughout the evening include tie dye mask making, cooking classes for kids and adults, a game show with fabulous prizes, silent auction, comedy/improv and a dance lesson!

 Musical sets will be performed by local favorite Damon Foreman, The Hokums, 20 Year Chase, Cora Rose, Sanjay George and Manny Parks.

 At midnight we will enjoy a live stream of Times Square and then offer a Burning Bowl ceremony for what we want to leave behind in 2020 and then begin to create and manifest our intentions for 2021.

 The ticket prices range from $45 to $300 and include event access and a pre-event party box with activity materials, NYE swag, zero-alcohol champagnette, Sobar™ in a Box drink kits and much more! 

For tickets click here.


 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...