Pier Park attracts young and old for beach ball drop, fireworks
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Whether it was flip flops or heels, friends and family flocked to watch fireworks light up the sky and beach balls rain on the streets of Pier Park Saturday night for the fourth annual New Year’s Eve celebration.
Glitter and excitement reigned supreme for children, as they prepared to greet the new year with the party designed specifically for them. Michael Newman, 9, said he couldn’t wait for the inflated beach balls to drop.
“I’m ready for the new year and I want to watch both ball drops, but I want to take home some of the beach balls,” Newman said.
The first beach-ball drop, during which 10,000 beach balls fell to the delight of the children, was at 8 p.m. Then as the clock neared midnight, a second beach ball drop was to mark the new year.
Natalie Campbell, 20, and Dillan Black, 21, came out for Campbell’s first ball drop and they weren’t the only ones enjoying the festivities for the first time. Charles and Mariyln Orr and Karen and Doug MacDuff of Lindsay, Ontario, are spending their winter in PCB.
“It’s the first time at the park for New Year’s for all of us. We wanted to experience all of it. We’re watching the beach ball drops, having dinner and drinks and we’re wandering around enjoying everything,” Karen MacDuff said.
One family traveled from Indiana for vacation, unable to resist the fun and sun of Florida and made plans to celebrate at Pier Park because the kids would have so many things to do. Heather Wilson, 9, and her cousin Jason Smith camped out under the beach ball nets waiting for the drop.
Preparations
Four generations of the Robinson family, ranging from 1 year old to 70-plus, gathered with other volunteers in Pier Park Friday to inflate more than 10,000 beach balls in preparation for the fourth annual New Year’s Eve festivities Saturday night.
Director of marketing and business development at Pier Park, Felicia Cook, said her family, the Robinsons, come down from Indiana each year to help.
Every year sees changes and additions to the New Year’s Eve celebration, such as adding the family oriented beach ball drop, using a professional rigger to set up the beach ball drop so it is easier for the kids to catch the balls, and this year, even more beach balls.
“every year, we critique and try to do something better,” Cook said. “That’s the ultimate goal, every year add an element and do something nicer than we did the year before.”
This year, there were two fireworks shows from PyroShows, who did nine separate shows on the coast. The first show was at eight and the second, accompanied by and synchronized to music, at midnight.
Another addition this year was technologically and gift-giving focused. Simon Property Group gave away chocolate squares for people checking in at the celebration on Foursquare and gift cards as prizes for text-to-win contests. other prizes came from sponsors and included gift bags, surfboards, and stays at various resorts.
Sarah Darling was set to sing “Auld Lang Syne.” almost There, the Barry Fish Band and Ryan Starr all were scheduled to entertain the crowd with live music until after midnight.
Cook said the TDC and the event sponsors have all come together to put this event on.
“We’re just trying to work as a community to make things better. It’s really going to be a good time,” Cook said.
Several people on The News Herald’s Facebook page wrote about their plans.
Christy Knight said her family goes to Pier Park every year and their youngest child, who is 8, enjoys it.
“Our youngest loves the beach balls for the kids,” Knight said.
Some people opted not to be in the midst of the crowds at Pier Park, and made other plans such as going to places like the Skate Factory and then having a party at home for adults or staying at home and eating oysters, soaking black eyed peas and watching football.
Jacob Nelson said he had loaded up on fireworks for a traditional neighborhood competition.
“I plan to sit on my lake front home on Crystal Lake and have fireworks competition with the other homeowners around the lake till the wee hours of the morning,” he said.