What are you doing New Year's Eve?

Posted at 8:24 AM on December 31, 2009 by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Events

Sauce Spirits and Soundbar is one of the many venues offering up entertainment for your New Year's Eve celebration

I admit - I will be spending New Year's Eve at a neighbor's house, within easy walking distance of home, enjoying good food, some wine, and maybe a game of Trivial Pursuit. But if you dare venture a little further out into the night, there are more than a few things to choose from...

Sauce Spirits and Soundbar presents a full line-up of music, including Mystery Palace, Lookbook, Estate and Beatrix Jar. Cover is $10 (which includes a drink ticket) and there's free champagne at midnight.

For the 18+ crowd, First Avenue hosts "New Year's Eve 2010 - Deep Space Danceteria," featuring Total Eclipse at Midnight, a Champagne Toast, and a Moonwalk Contest. All this hosted by TV's "Drinking With Ian."

Bryant Lake Bowl offers two performances to choose from on New Year's Eve. At 7pm and again 11pm you can catch "The Scrimshaw Brother's New Year's Eve Comedy Workout" during which they'll try to make up for all the exercise they didn't do the other 364 days out of the year.

Starting at 9pm, Bedlam Theater presents a New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball, featuring the Mahadrin Klezmer Ensemble, DJ Asylum Soundsystem and Dreamland Faces. Prizes will be awarded for the best mask.

For those with cash to burn, the Dakota Jazz Club has a full line-up for the evening, starting at 5:30pm with Paris Strother on piano. Then, while the dinner-set dines on a four-course creation by "Chef Jack," Jevetta and Jearlyn Steele are joined on stage by Sanford Moore. Finally, at 10:30pm, Irvin Mayfield takes the stage with his quintet for some lively horn playing. (FYI - Mayfield's performance will be broadcast live as part of NPR's Toast of the Nation). The whole evening's entertainment - including dinner - will set you back $200... per person.

Current DJ Steve Seel has a few other items to add to the list...

The New Standards will perform at Hotel Minneapolis's New Year's celebration, which features a "Mad Men" theme.

Lee's Liquor Lounge is putting on a "Rockstravaganza" with Current DJ Jill Riley, Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles, and E.L.nO. providing an all-star E.L.O. tribute.

Varsity Theater presents the always energetic Mark Mallman, along with White Light Riot, First Communion After Party and Koo Koo Kangaroo.

Solid Gold heads the line-up for "2010: The Year We Make Contact" at the Marriot City Center Grand Ballroom. It's a party you can feel good about, as it benefits the music programs at Edison High School in Minneapolis.

Got other plans for New Year's Eve? Let us know!

A look back at the events of 2009

Posted at 2:00 PM on December 31, 2009 by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Events

It was a year marked by the economic recession, and one that took its toll on arts organizations both big and small. In addition we lost some local luminaries. But amidst it all there was some good news too. Read on for a recap of the major moments of 2009...

January

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra hosts what's believed to be the first ever International Chamber Orchestra Festival.

Heart of the Beast Mask and Puppet Theater is dark for all of January and half of February, and temporarily lays off its staff in an attempt to trim $200,000 from its budget.

February

Poet, pianist, and essayist Bill Holm dies at the age of 65.

March

The Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Orchestra, Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Walker Art Center all announce significant cuts to their budgets and staff in response to the economic recession.

April

SPCO musicians agree to a pay cut, and the Minnesota Historical Society announces deep cuts to its own budget.

May

Guthrie Theater presents the premiere of Tony Kushner's latest play "An Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures" as part of its Kushner Festival. Last minute changes to the script postpone the opening of the show by a week.

June

Minnesota Orchestra announces $40million expansion.

Jorja Fleezanis retires from her position as concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra.

The Vatican declares the St. Paul Cathedral a national shrine.

July

The Legacy Amendment Tax Increase takes effect, which dedicates a steady stream of funding from a sales tax increase for the environment and the arts

Claude Purdy, a founding member of the Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, dies.

Noted music writer Michael Steinberg dies at the age of 80.

August

Minnesota Orchestra musicians accept a wage freeze, a reduction in pension contributions, and the freezing of open positions to help the orchestra save about $4.2 million over the next three years.

September

Minnesota icon Garrison Keillor gives the world a start when he suffers a minor stroke, just two months after A Prairie Home Companion celebrates its 35th anniversary.

October

Weisman Art Museum expansion gets underway.

An unprecedented exhibition of "masterpieces" from the Louvre Museum in Paris opens at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

The Coen brothers' "A Serious Man" opens in cinemas. The film is set in the brothers' native St. Louis Park - the first of their movies set in Minnesota since "Fargo."

November

Longtime Minneapolis music venue Uptown Bar shuts its doors.

The American Craft Council announces it's moving to Minneapolis.

After 10 years of non-stop lobbying and fundraising, the new Minnesota Shubert Center finally breaks ground.

"Give to the Max Day" leads to more than $14 million dollars donated to Minnesota non-profits through the new website GiveMN.org.

St. Paul Pioneer Press announces theater critic Dominic Papatola is leaving the paper, and there are no plans to replace his position. Papatola will continue to write for the paper as a freelancer.

December

Despite the rough year, both the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra announce they've balanced their budgets, and the SPCO is even lowering its ticket prices.