Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Parties, fireworks to ring out the old

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Friday, December 31, 1999

Parties, fireworks to ring out the old
75,000 expected on bayfront
By Jeremy Schwartz
Caller-Times

From the top of a 70-foot Ferris wheel overlooking the bay to exclusive black-tie galas in posh hotels to raucous house parties, people in Corpus Christi tonight will celebrate the millennium in a variety of ways.
   But no matter how or where people party, tens of thousands are expected to turn their eyes to the bayfront at midnight when the city's New Year's Eve fireworks display signals the beginning of the 21st century.
   Officials are expecting about 75,000 people to watch the show along the bayfront, with untold others viewing from rooftops and homes.
   Some people got an early start on the New Year's Eve celebration on Thursday, visiting the Buccaneer Commission's carnival on Shoreline Boulevard. The four-day millennium carnival runs through Sunday.
   With rides for kids and adults, as well as prime viewing space for the fireworks, Buccaneer Commission officials are predicting the carnival will draw as many as 100,000 visitors during the four days.
   Gerald and Mary Jo Perez, who visited the carnival Thursday afternoon with their 2-year-old daughter, Linsey, and 1-year-old son, Adam, said the carnival should be a yearly event.
   "It's great," Gerald said. "They should do this every New Year's. It's something for families to do."
   Joe Ochoa, executive director of the Buccaneer Commission, said he's expecting a long line at the carnival's 70-foot Ferris wheel in the minutes leading up to midnight. "It'll be very interesting to see who's the lucky person at the top at midnight," he said. "I'm sure there will be a lot of people who will want to say 'I entered the New Year at the top of the Ferris wheel.' "
   Also today, the Caller-Times will gather residents and visitors alike at the Barge Dock on Shoreline Boulevard for a community photo at 1 p.m. The photo will be published as part of a special section in the Jan. 1, 2000, newspaper. Individuals, families, school groups, church organizations and work groups are invited.
   At the Omni Corpus Christi Hotel, General Manager Jim Snow is expecting hundreds of couples for the hotel's $550 per couple Millennium Madness bash. As one of the few high-priced parties not canceled or scaled down because of low interest, the Millennium Madness party will feature an all-night disco, a midnight breakfast buffet, 10 fortune tellers, three magicians and two casinos. Tickets still are available and can be purchased through tonight.
   Snow said he is contemplating throwing another millennium party later in the month for the unfortunate souls who have to work on New Year's Eve.
   For those who prefer a quiet dinner to all-night partying, Marbella restaurant's chef Christian Chavanne is re-creating the 1899 New Year's Eve menu of famed London Savoy Hotel Chef Auguste Escoffier. For $100, guests will dine on caviar, lobster bisque and truffles, all done with Chavanne's personal twists. Only two spots remain for the dinner.
   And those who make it until midnight at Marbella will see the surprise wedding of two Marbella diners, said Fredna Chavanne, Christian's wife.
   Not all of Corpus Christi's New Year's Eve parties are open to the public, however. A group of 175 German tourists have hired out the Lexington Museum on the Bay. The group will come out onto the flight deck at midnight to watch the fireworks show, said museum spokeswoman Heather Bunch.
   Port Aransas will have its own fireworks display at Roberts Point Park. And at 12:01 a.m. the fifth annual Carl Shanklin Goathead Fishing Tournament will begin at Woody's Sports Center.
   In preparation for tonight's celebrations, the Corpus Christi Police Department has increased its street presence by 25 percent tonight, with 130 officers.

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