Revelers seek peaceful year.Byline: JAIME LYN REA REA Rural Electrification Administration REA Rural Electric Association REA Railway Express Agency REA Repertorio Economico Amministrativo REA Rapid Environmental Assessment REA Resident Evil: Apocalypse (movie) The Register-Guard When the clock struck midnight and the fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to appeared in the sky, partygoers in downtown Eugene Monday night weren't celebrating just the dawning of a new year. Many were also saying goodbye - or good riddance - to 2001. At the city's seventh annual First Night party, celebrants said they were eager to bid farewell to a year that will be forever associated with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. "I'm ready I'm Ready is the double platinum second release from R&B singer Tevin Campbell. I'm Ready yielded the biggest R&B hit of his career the #1 R&B smash "Can We Talk", and produce 3 more successful hits in "I'm Ready", "Always In My Heart" and "Don't Say Goodbye Girl". for 2002, definitely," Scott Henkel of Eugene said earlier in the evening. "I think we're turning the page to a new era. (This country) has been through a lot in this year. I'm not doom and gloom doom and gloom n. Gloom and doom. doom  -and-gloom adj. . I look forward to good things. We're
stronger now. We're going to be great."
Henkel's hope was echoed in the messages written on the Resolution Wall at the New Year's Eve party. Before the clock struck midnight, partygoers visited the wall, located inside a building in the center of the downtown mall The Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, Virginia is one of the longest pedestrian malls in the United States. Located on Main Street, it runs between 2nd and 5th Streets. It is laid entirely with brick and home to an array of restaurants, shops, offices and art galleries. , to write their hopes for 2002 along with their resolutions for the new year. The notes were scrawled across brown butcher paper with colored markers. "I think people are feeling really anxious and unsettled right now," Debra Weinman of Eugene said as she read several messages alluding to the terrorist attacks. "It's nice to see them get it (the anxiety) out." One message read: Hoping for a better 2002. Another said: Goodbye 2001. Hello 2002! Still another read: I love 2002 instead of 2001. A person named Darcy resolved "to pray for all the people who died on September 11th." Many of the notes emphasized peace and love, including a resolution "to pray for peace every day until peace prevails." Even partygoers who didn't visit the Resolution Wall expressed similar sentiments of hope and expectation. Naomi Sture of Seattle, visiting a sister in Junction City Junction City, city (1990 pop. 20,604), seat of Geary co., NE Kans., at the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers; inc. 1859. The rail, trade, and processing center of an agricultural and dairy area, it grew as the supply point for nearby Fort Riley, for the holidays, said she believes 2002 will be one of stability. "I'm optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op always, and I think this time in America is a time of new beginnings and coming together," she said. "And I'm in love, so I'm excited." Sture was selling "lobe strobes," clip-on lights that flashed blue and yellow or red and green. "It feels just different this year for me," she said. "I think people are trying to reassure themselves that life is pretty much the same as we thought it was." Monday night's party included numerous entertainment choices, including storytelling, dancing, music and comedy. A 6-hour marathon reading Marathon Reading is a yearly program put on by the UCLA department of English, where a group of students, faculty, community members, alumni, and often even celebrities read a novel (or two) out loud non-stop for a 24-hour period. of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic, "The Hobbit A microprocessor from AT&T that was used in a variety of portable devices. It is no longer made. 1. Hobbit - A Scheme to C compiler by Tanel Tammet <tammet@cs.chalmers.se>. ," drew many listeners, including families with young children. Except for a brief pause each hour, Rickie Birran, aka Sir ReadAlot, enchanted en·chant tr.v. en·chant·ed, en·chant·ing, en·chants 1. To cast a spell over; bewitch. 2. To attract and delight; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. First Night attendees with his various voices for different characters in the book. In his role as Gandalf the wizard, Birran wore a black gown and green wizard hat - appropriate attire for an evening of masks and magic that followed the theme "Moonlight Masquerade." It was unclear how many people attended the fog-shrouded celebration, but Steve Remington, manager of Downtown Events Management Inc., said it appeared to be a "very good turnout." Last year's event drew an estimated 10,000 people to downtown. The fact that several thousand showed up this year is a sign that people are moving on with their lives after tragedy, Remington said. "It's very encouraging that Eugene is learning to cope with all of its own diversity and all the world events," he said. CAPTION(S): WAYNE EASTBURN / The Register-Guard Christian Liles, 8, writes his New Year hopes on the Resolution Wall in a building on the downtown mall in Eugene on Monday night. WAYNE EASTBURN / The Register-Guard David Kelly  This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. draws a circle of First Night partygoers as he balances on four boards and juggles torches. |
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