New Year's Eve is a time for celebration and revelry.
Two area clubs, one a veteran of Salt Lake downtown night life and the other a new rendition of an older Park City club, will open their doors with food and music to the party patrol, as will many other area establishments.Salt Lakers who want to keep their evening more intimate might want to step inside the Zephyr Club, 301 S. West Temple, for a night with the Disco Drippers, a local band.
Club owner Otto Mileti said he always looks forward to the New Year's party.
"We've held New Year's Eve here for the past 12 years, and it has always been a success," he said. "Though the energy level gets pretty high, I can't remember a time when we've had a safety problem. The people who usually come in want to have a safe, fun night out."
The Disco Drippers will be the first local band in the club's history to headline the New Year's Eve party, said Mileti.
"We've had some great bands in the past play here," he said. "The neat thing is how much the audience gets into it."
Among the bands who've made appearances on this special night were the Dynatones, the Crazy Eights, Monkey Meat and Jack Mack & the Heart Attack.
"We also provide the party favors and balloon drop," added Mileti. "We've always done that. A couple of years ago, we even tried some pyrotechnics, but it got kind of scary, so we stopped that. I even bought an artificial Christmas tree this year."
Mileti said tickets for the night are going fast and he expects to sell out before the doors open at 7 p.m. The cover charge for the night is $20 for general admission or $40 for a dinner ticket.
"Part of the fun is coming down to see the crowd," Mileti said. "It's one of the funnest nights of the year."
Those who want to get away from the city New Year's Eve will be happy to hear that the Black Pearl Club in Park City opened under new management and staff earlier this month.
The club, at 350 Main St., has taken on a new aura since the remodeling, said manager Susan White.
"The first Black Pearl opened 12 years ago," said White. "When it reopened in 1993, it was nothing more than just a bar where the college crowd would come and get rowdy. There wasn't much of a food menu at the time. When we closed for the final makeover in November, the owner (Jerry Giloman, who owns the Riverhorse and the Barking Frog restaurants) brought in his staff to clean up, paint and re-carpet."
White said it took a full staff working full time for 31/2 weeks to get the Black Pearl into good working order.
"This place was trashed," she said. "Now we've got a full menu and a brand new look."
Giloman also replaced the old, fold-out stage with a stationary, permanent stage that will serve both local and national music artists. Giloman also called Performance Audio to set up a new 1,200-watt sound system.
"A couple of weeks ago we opened our winter season with Jefferson Starship," said White. "New Year's Eve will feature a Salt Lake band called the Gamma Rays."
Tickets for the night are $15 for general admission, or $55 for admission and dinner. Dinner will be a buffet set up from 7 p.m.-10 p.m., and the music will start shortly afterward.
Both clubs will close at 1 a.m. New Year's Day.
In addition to the Zephyr and Black Pearl, here is a list of other clubs and restaurants in the area celebrating New Year's Eve with music:
ALAMO SALOON, 447 Main St., Park City: The Uncalled Four. A private club. 649-2380.
ASHBURY PUB, 22 E. 100 South: Backwash. Open to the public. 596-8600.
BAR & GRILL, 60 E. 800 South: Abstrak, One Eye, So Wut and Wish. A private club. 533-0340.
BARKING FROG, 368 Main St., Park City: Cowdaddies. A private club. 649-3536.
BLACK PEARL, 350 Main St., Park City: Gamma Rays. A private club. 649-3140.
CHARLEY'S CLUB, 2827 S. State: Steel Rail. A private club.
CINEMA BAR at Spanky's, 45 W. Broadway: River Bed Jed, Decomposers, Deviance and J. Binder. A private club. 359-1200.
CISERO'S, 306 Main St., Park City: Zion Tribe. A private club. 649-6800.
CITY LIMITS, 1037 E. 3300 South: Bone. A private club. 486-3008.
CLUB NORWOOD, 1726 W. North Temple: Billy the Kid and Spare Parts. A private club. 364-0620.
COUNTRY CHRISTY'S, 3793 S. State: Heartland. A private club. 261-9111.
CROMPTON'S ROADSIDE ATTRACTION, 5195 Emigration Canyon: Irish Band. Open to the public. 583-1869.
D.B. COOPERS, 19 E. 200 South: Mary & Monique. A private club. 532-2948.
DEAD GOAT SALOON, 165 S. West Temple: Megan Peters and Big Leg. Open to the public. 328-GOAT.
DOWNUNDER, 573 Main Street, Park City: Maka and the Mutineers. A private club.
GEPETTO'S, 2334 E. 4670 South (Holladay): Curt Davis. Open to the public. 272-1061.
GEPETTO'S, 230 S. 1300 East (University): Ed Evans. Open to the public. 583-1013.
GREEN PARROT, 155 W. 200 South: Insatiable. A private club. 363-3201.
GREEN STREET, 610 Trolley Square: The Disgusting Brothers. A private club. 532-4200.
HOLY COW, 241 S. 500 East: The Obvious, Cradle of Thorns and Power Tools for Girls. A private club. 359-5905.
LAZY MOON PUB, 32 Exchange Place: Pepper Lake City. Open to the public. 363-7600.
RIVERHORSE, 540 Main St., Park City: Jeff Proctor Trio. A private club. 649-3140.
SAFARI NIGHT CLUB, 165 S. West Temple: Irie Heights. Open to the public. 267-2666.
SALT CITY CAFE, 307 W. 200 South: Harder Than Your Husband. A private club. 364-9224.
SANDY'S STATION, 8925 S. 255 West: Midnight Rodeo. A private club. 255-2289.
UPPER COUNTRY, 3485 S. Main St.: Wyle Coyote. Open to the public. 466-6664.
WESTERNER, 3360 S. Redwood Road: Hired Gun. A private club. 972-5447.
ZEPHYR CLUB, 301 S. West Temple: Disco Drippers. A private club. 355-CLUB.