Sunbury New Year's Eve Celebration to return with multiple events

Francis Scarcella, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·2 min read

Dec. 25—SUNBURY — Volunteers, Sunbury employees and even city officials are all working together in anticipation of the return of the downtown New Year's Eve Celebration.

With the addition of an all-day-long loop of Christmas music playing through Cameron Park, two-25-foot television screens being placed downtown for people to watch the college football games and live feeds from Times Square in New York City, officials are ready to go, they say.

"Everyone is excited for this," Councilman Jim Eister said. "I think it will be a great fun night for everyone."

The return of the celebration came after Mayor Josh Brosious picked up where former Mayor Kurt Karlovich left off.

Karlovich, who remains active on the committee, brought back the celebration in 2018, after a two-year hiatus because of lack of funds in 2016 and then a bitter cold front in 2017.

The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 so Brosious said this year he wanted it to be extra special.

Officials have put together a lineup of events, and a children's event at the skate rink with a free skate from 1 to 4 p.m., according to City Clerk Jolinn Barner.

Sunbury police officer and New Year's Eve committee member Keith Tamborelli placed digital billboards near the Santa House on Third Street with a listing of events taking place on Dec. 31.

The crane near City Hall will raise the countdown light bulb that will be lit up at midnight on New Year's Eve.

Brosious said the theme for the celebration is "A Winter Wine and Brew Fest."

Brosious said there will be several wineries and breweries lined up downtown. Pineknotter and Three Beards Brewery along with the Moose Lodge, as well as Spyglass, Iron Vines, Whispering Oakes and Davino Wineries will have stands set up, he said.

"We have Midtown Bistro sponsoring our EndZone tent that will be showing the college football games and we have two great bands coming to play," Brosious said.

Brosious said the bands are Hometown Strangers and Cass and the Bailout Crew which play a mix of top hits from the 70s until today that will be sponsored by the Fraternity of the Eagles.

There will also be a shuttle bus from Pineknotters Brewing in Northumberland starting at 7 p.m. and travel to Sunbury bars to pick people up and bring them downtown, according to Barner.

The first band begins at 7:30 p.m. Downtown will be set up with vendors at 6:30 p.m.