By Robert Weiler
Local residents and students staying in Utah for the holidays will not have to spend New Year''s Eve with Dick Clark.
On Thursday, Dec. 11 at the Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson renamed Main Street to 'Electric Avenue' to promote the city''s First Night 2004 celebration.
Ashley Elliott of Vanguard Media Group, representatives for the event''s organizers, the Downtown Alliance, said crowds of more than 50,000 participants are expected.
Dance instructors will be teaching hip hop, disco, salsa, swing and belly dancing to stay in line with the evening''s theme, 'Get Down Tonight.' Skating, food tasting, storytelling, and a host of local musical artists will also be scattered throughout downtown.
Opening ceremonies begin on Dec. 31 at 5:30 p.m. with activities available until 1a.m., New Year''s Day.
Buttons for the New Year''s function serve as admission tickets into a variety of downtown events at 14 indoor and two outdoor venues, including The Gateway shopping center, The Salt Palace Convention Center and the Olympic Legacy Plaza.
First Night buttons are $7 in advance at Albertson''s Food Stores, The Gateway, Smith''sTix and customer service desks at the ZCMI Center and Crossroads Plaza. A listing of events and performers is available online at www.firstnightslc.org.
Greg Carr, 23, a senior from Bountiful studying biology at BYU, enjoyed his time at First Night two years ago.
'I went with a bunch of friends looking for a good time, and we had one,' Carr said. 'There is so much going on you don''t know where to go.'
Locals not interested in traveling north can still enjoy a downtown party at First Night Provo 2004 on University Avenue and Center Street.
Activities scheduled for the Provo celebration include ice-skating, dancing and art projects. Singing group Jericho Road will also perform. The evening will be capped-off with a fireworks show at midnight.
First Night 2004 buttons for Provo''s event are available for $3 at the Provo Towne Centre service desk and Zions Bank.