November 2007 - Posts
After a day of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, squash and apple pie, a few of us from the office got up early to get our Christmas shopping done. Well, not really. We actually weren't doing the shopping and it wasn't for Christmas. This morning, Mayor Menino bought his First Night button at the Shaw's store at the Prudential Center in downtown. It was a fantastic day and all of our friends from the media came out. We even had Mike Ritter the button artist there.
So with that, buttons are now on sale. You can get them at Shaw's and Star Market, Store 24, Lil' Peach and Tedeschi's as well as Au Bon Pain in the greater Boston area. You can also get them online at our website. Take a look here for all of the retail locations.
Happy Shopping.
(From L to R) First Night 2008 Button Artist Mike Ritter, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, First Night Executive Director Geri Guardino
The button design, by my Ashmont Hill neighbor Mike Ritter, was unveiled with great fanfare this morning at the lovely Park Plaza Hotel. Channels 4 and 7 were there, as was Metro and AP, so you should be seeing some coverage of it later today. Mike's a great photographer, and the button is lovely - very Boston. You can check out his other work at www.ritterbin.com.
After the unveiling, we had a very special treat. The Park Plaza had its own unveiling - the First Night tea blend. The tea itself was delightful. Highly recommended. Cynthia Gold, the Park Plaza tea sommelier has concocted an excellent potion, and we got to have three amazing courses of tea-infused goodies like scones, sandwiches, petit fours and an earl grey creme brulee. As one of my co-workers so gracefully put it, "I can think of way worse ways to spend an hour at work."
That said, we now have one less hour in the 45 days we have left to put this monster event together, so we need to get back to work!
Today is the first day of First Night 2008. Well not really but it is the first day that the identity of First Night 2008 comes out from the boxes and computer files that have been holding it back for the past four months. We couldn't wait to share with you the new button. Along with a new First Night year, comes a new website, program guide and a new event! Take a look around the site. Try out the new features we have set up for you.
I would personally like to thank four people who have put in a ton of time and effort into this site: MarkSki of markski.net, our web guru, D. Russell Capasso, Carrie Gesteland and our web designer Johnny X.
"Can you blog?" That's the big question from the marketing department. They want me to blog, as if I have nothing else to do.
Tomorrow is our big button unveiling, and the day we launch the 2008 website. That means it's also the day I have to have the press releases for the entire event done. I guess it could be worse. It could be 1999, when we were still sending out paper press kits and PRINTS of photos (can you imagine?). Anyway, we have some great programming planned for First Night Boston 2008, and as I look out my window to see fall foliage on November 15, I'm thinking it might be a temperate winter. I'm not supposed to announce any of the artists before tomorrow, but since there's more than likely no one visiting our webpage the night BEFORE the button unveiling, I can tell YOU - my pals The Downbeat 5 will play on the steps of the Boston Public Library on New Year's Eve. I talked them into it by telling them that they'd be on TV and we'd have heaters and goose down comforters and fancy hot chocolate, but actually, we'll have none of that. Except for the TV part. Channel 4 will be broadcasting live. But don't tell JJ and Jen about all the stuff I promised that won't be there, until it's too late for them to cancel.
Around the First Night offices there are a few unspeakable statements. One of which is how many days left until the event. There are only 51 days left until Monday, December 31st. In the next 51 days there is tons to do. The program guide was sent to the printer today and will hopefully be printed in Vermont on Monday. Thanks so much to our dear friends at Metro Boston newspaper for their support and sponsorship of First Night and their production of the program guide. I am so excited about it this year.
Our web team is busy getting the last of the website together. It has been a remarkable improvement over the past few years. Many late nights and AIM sessions happen to get the site into place. Thanks to Russ, markski, Carrie and Johnny X for their hard work.