Doug Pellum and Jay Yates are becoming old hands at new years.
Between them, the two restaurateurs have 35 years of experience is hosting New Year’s celebrations.
Tuesday, Pellum will stage his 18th New Year’s event at Zachary’s in Columbus while Yates will ring in the new year for the 17th time at The Veranda in Starkville.
While the closest citywide New Year’s celebration will be in Tupelo, the Golden Triangle will mark the occasion mainly at bars and restaurants.
“It’s become one of the things we do,” said Yates, who expects to serve as many as 500 meals at his restaurant before kicking off the New Year’s celebration at 9 with a dance party, a free event that will feature an in-house DJ and music until 1 a.m.
“It’s something that has really caught on,” Yates said. “We’ll bring in our high-end steaks and seafood for the day. For the dance party, we expect 150 to 200 people to be there when the new year comes in.”
For those in Starkville who favor live music, Hobie’s on Main will celebrate to the music of Chasin’ Dixie, a country band with a rock/blues vibe.
Meanwhile, at Zachary’s, the annual celebration will hold an extra significance: The old year of 2019 will be remembered for the April fire that shut down the restaurant for four months.
“With everything that happened, being closed and the community support we got, we’re pretty excited to be ringing out the old year,” Pellum said. “I think everybody’s ready to have a good time and ring in the new year right.”
The centerpiece of the celebration will be live music by The Shane Tubbs Band, a hard-driving country-blues band. The band will play from 9:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. There’s a $5 cover charge.
Adding the “new” to New Year’s is at least one new celebration this year.
The Columbus Rotary Club will hold a New Year’s Party at Lion Hills Center to raise money for Rotary International’s campaign to wipe out polio.
“This is the first time we’ve done this as our major fundraiser,” said club president Jimmy Parker. “We looked around and we didn’t see a party where people could dress up a little (cocktail attire) and enjoy a dance to bring in the new year.”
The event is open to the public. It’s BYOB with mixers and hors d’oeuvres provided. Tickets are $30 and are available at the door or by visiting 662TIX.com. The event starts at 9 p.m.
“Between corporate sponsorships and ticket sales, our goal is to raise $10,000,” Parker said. “What’s really great is that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has made a 2-to-1 pledge for what the Rotary Clubs raise. So if we raise $10,000, that’s really $30,000. We believe it’s a great way to bring in the new year and support a great cause at the same time.”
If you’re looking for a fireworks show, your best bet is a visit to Tupelo, where the city will cap off it’s New Year’s celebration with a fireworks show at midnight. Prior to that, the free event will feature two stages with bands playing a variety of musical genres, children’s games and events from 1-9 p.m., food vendors featuring the fare of local restaurants and a “ball drop” to count down to the new year.
All events are held at the city’s Fairpark facility.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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