Downtown Fincastle was once again alive with celebration at midnight last night! The crowd looked to be around 100 people. I've seen anywhere from 50 to 500 people crowded onto the corner in the last 25 or so years we have been around.
This year continued the trend of fewer people that has been occurring over the last several years. I think that Drunk Driving enforcement as well as a reduction in the number parties in town has caused the drop in attendance. Many of the folks who used to have big new years parties has passed on. The Club on Roanoke St. is now owned by a church so there are no longer parties there. I didn't notice if the Boltons Store location had an event, but that was another traditional location for parties on new years.
Another reason is the lack of any type of advance notice to folks in the area about what is going on in Fincastle. The attitude of many people is that newcomers should automatically know what is going on or perhaps they feel like it should be a private party for those "in the know".
I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that the ringing of the bells in the various locations is a tradition passed down from family member to family member. Each church has a family that has taken on the responsibility of being there every year to make sure the bells ring. This tradition has gone on for many years...I don't really know how many but I do know that three or four generations in some families have rung the bells. The Baptist church is in private hands so they could be ringing or perhaps letting whoever the Baptist family ringers ring.
That might be a good article later about who's doing it now.
No comments:
Post a Comment