Ringing in the new year with family fun

Barbara Fields’ favorite part of New Year’s Eve happens at about five minutes after 11 p.m., when the Drug and Alcohol Free New Year’s Eve is wrapping up.

That’s when she joins with her children and grandchildren and hundreds of her Platte County neighbors in hugs and handshakes and good wishes for the new year.

For Kara and Philip Bouillette of Prairie Village, their favorite part of New Year’s Eve is around noon when their two children join dozens more for songs, activities and a big balloon drop.

It’s not that the Fields and Bouillette families and their friends are confused about the hour at which the new year begins. These families represent thousands in the metro area who will celebrate in family-friendly environments without alcohol and much of the revelry and fanfare typically associated with the strike of midnight.

More than 400 people will celebrate at PinStripes at PrairieFire Dec. 31 in Overland Park. The milk and cookie toast with the 2 p.m. balloon drop is the highlight of activities that include bowling, face painting, and horse and wagon rides, all coordinated by Kansas City Moms Blog.

The Fields family of Kansas City, North, will take part in the 20th annual Drug and Alcohol Free New Year’s Eve, an event begun in 1996 by the Park Hill Community Drug Task Force. Originally, the party was a few hours of swimming, basketball and other activities at Park Hill Middle School and the district’s aquatic center. Later in the evening, it moved to the Old Mill Emporium in downtown Parkville for dancing and fireworks over the river at midnight.

“Just because there’s no alcohol, there’s no reason to think this is a quiet, boring event,” said Barbara Fields, 68, who has attended with her children and grandchildren for at least 15 years.

“You don’t have to worry about people around you being vulgar or wild behavior. People who come are just here for an authentic good time with their family and community.”

Fields’ grandchildren, who range in age from 1 to 16, first learned to ice skate during this New Year’s Eve event that attracts around 500 people each year. Fields used to ice skate and roller skate with the kids, but now her favorite part is dancing to the song “YMCA” at the YMCA.

Rich Linden of Overland Park has been the DJ for the dance party component of the celebration for all but one of the 20 years.

“The biggest distinction about this event and others I do is the huge collaboration between area businesses, churches and other organizations,” Linden said. “I’ve often turned down much higher paying New Year’s Eve gigs because I enjoy working with this community event instead.”

Indeed, this 20th celebration involves five locations and dozens of donations from area businesses. Over the years, a number of businesses and volunteers have supported the event, including the Park Hill Community Alliance for Youth and Tri-County Mental Health Services. Others provide door prizes, food and equipment.

The planning and responsibility for the party has changed and evolved in the past two decades. Today, Matthew Mann, a youth and family program director at the Platte County South YMCA, heads up the effort.

“There’s no board or any one organization that makes this happen,” said Mann, who began working at the Y in 2013. “It’s just good people who care about the event and want to see it continue.”

Mann, who has worked in similar positions in Springfield, is not aware of any New Year’s Eve event like this anywhere in Kansas or Missouri. Of the many accomplishments of the initiative over the years, he is most amazed that in 20 years, the admission price per individual has stayed at $5.

As the event has evolved, the organizers decided to end the party around 11 p.m. The idea is that families can get their young children to bed just a little earlier, but also to have them safe at home before other revelers who may have consumed alcohol or other substances hit the road after midnight.

That thought process is one reason Kara and Philip Bouillette of Prairie Village enjoy celebrating WonderEve, a family-friendly event that has been held at the Wonderscope Children’s Museum in Shawnee since at least 2002.

The party begins at 9 a.m. with crafts, magic shows, snacks and story time. It concludes shortly after Mr. Stinky Feet, Jim Cosgrove, counts down the noon hour followed by a balloon drop.

“It’s often hard for parents with little ones to find a babysitter and create time for themselves on New Year’s Eve, but this allows us a fun celebration for everyone in the family without a lot of effort,” said Kara Bouillette, 38, who also serves on the Wonderscope board.

“Of course, we visit Wonderscope often, but I think they understand that on this day we’re going for something special,” Bouillette said. “My 7-year-old is finally beginning to grasp a sense of time and the idea of a new beginning, and that’s very exciting for us as parents to watch.”

The Bouillette family has now fully embraced Mr. Stinky Feet and WonderEve as a part of their holiday tradition, and are happy to be at home with everyone asleep when the clock strikes midnight.

“Believe me, we wouldn’t want our kids to be up until midnight,” she said. “We would pay for that for days.”

This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Ringing in the new year with family fun."