Union Bridge to host third annual New Year’s Eve celebration and fireworks
Union Bridge will be a hub of New Year’s Eve celebration and activity Sunday night for a third consecutive year, thanks to the group Dream Big Union Bridge.
From 7 p.m. to midnight, attendees can enjoy live performances from DJ AJ and the band Cashtown, free arcade games, a photo booth and refreshments for purchase. Wetzel’s Pretzels food truck will be onsite, and a beer garden supports the Union Bridge Fire Company.
The event will be held at the fire company’s carnival grounds, 8 W. Locust St., Union Bridge. Dream Big co-founder and Union Bridge resident Cheri Thompson said the now-iconic ornament rise will happen at midnight, followed by a 20-minute fireworks spectacular.
“We’re really bringing the community together with our events,” Thompson said. “Everything we do, we give back to the community.”
Pets are not allowed at the event, and those in need of a chair are welcome to bring their own. Thompson said donations to Dream Big Union Bridge will be graciously accepted, but are not required.
Dream Big Union Bridge was co-founded by Thompson and Brian Colussy in 2017 to improve the Town of Union Bridge. Of the events the organization puts on throughout the year, Thompson said the Rubber Duck Derby is its greatest fundraiser and the New Year’s Eve celebration is the most significant reinvestment in the community.
The midnight fireworks display costs $7,500, and the total cost is defrayed by sponsors. Thompson said last year’s fireworks display was incredible, drawing several rounds of applause across multiple finales, and event-goers can expect more of the same in the first minutes of 2024.
“People are still talking about the fireworks,” Thompson said, “and it’s the same staff the same company and everything this year.”
Sunday also marks the last chance to participate in Dream Big Union Bridge’s passport program, which began Dec. 1. To be entered in the 11 p.m. raffle, participants must make purchases at Union Bridge stores and earn passport stamps. A completed passport is eligible for the $500 gift card raffle; six stamps can be entered in the raffle for $250; four stamps are eligible for a $150 gift card prize; and a passport with two stamps is eligible to win a $100 gift card. Each tier will have two raffle winners.
Passports may be obtained at participating businesses: 7-Eleven, Esquire Liquors, Originals Pizza, Hair & Now, Buttersburg Inn, Union Bridge Gift Shop, Linbeau’s Railway Pub, Flood Zone, and Uncle Matty’s.
“We’re trying to drive business,” Thompson said. “You have to go in and purchase something in order to get your card stamped, so that’s a win for the businesses. So it’s a way to give back to the businesses.”
Thompson said she hopes people enjoy the event and support Dream Big, “so that we can continue to do things for the community.”
