Ring in the new year at the Columns Museum

Spend the last hours of 2019 and the first of 2020 with a smile on your face and a song in your heart by ringing in the new year at the Pike County Historical Society and Columns Museum.

The party starts at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, and runs right into next year. It will include live music, light fare and libations, party favors, giveaways, and a champagne toast at midnight.

The music will be by Big Ska Band, founded in 1995 by five-time Grammy nominated producer Dr. Joe Ferry. The group has opened shows for major acts, including Iggy Azalea, Raekwon, The Skatalites, Rancid, and Ricki Lee Jones. The band has toured throughout North America and the Caribbean. Among the many luminaries who have passed through the ranks of Big Ska are Tommy McCook and Lester Sterling (original members of the Skatalites), and Corey Glover of Living Colour. Big Ska records for the Jump Up Record label and has five albums to date.

The music and party will take place in the Foundation Room of the museum. It's a room of note: in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it served as a nightclub simply called “The Cellar” and hosted live acts, including The Inkpots. The proprietors boldly stated it was “the room of the perfect cocktail." Old ad cards tell us the establishment was also famous for its smorgasbords. The low ceilings and intimate atmosphere allow for good sound and good times. The Columns has hosted many events in this room over the years and knows how to throw a party.

During the evening guests can wander upstairs and tour the museum by sconce-light or partake in a scavenger hunt that requires a bit of thinking and historical fortitude. Prizes will be awarded to the person or team with the best results.

Familiar with the New Year's tradition of eating pickled herring? In Germany, Poland, and Scandinavia, it's believed that eating herring at the stroke of midnight will ensure a year of bounty, as herring are in abundance throughout Western Europe. Also, their silvery color resembles that of coins, a good omen for future fortune. There will be a herring eating contest for those who are game.

The band’s leader, Joe Ferry, will do a live count down to midnight, with a champagne toast (to wash down the herring!).

The cost for the event is $25 per person and includes a delicious selection of snacks and hors d’oeuvres, complimentary beer and wine, access to the museum -- if you choose to take a tour -- and a champagne toast.

Space is limited, so reserve soon by calling 570-296-8126 or emailing pikemuse@ptd.net.