The 2021 New Year’s Eve party at the resort was cancelled due to COVID-19. This year, while the pandemic was rearing its ugly head once again via the Omicron variant, the party went on. It is now January 4, 5 days after the party and I have not heard of any new cases in the park. So, hopefully, the party was not a superspreader event.
It was a good party. The band, 41 South, was excellent. They knew their audience as I could sing the words (not well) to nearly every song they played. Excellent musicians, very good vocals. Couldn’t ask for a better band. I even danced a couple of times – probably my first dancing in over 3 years.
The caterer, however, balanced it out. They were terrible. The entree – a chunks-of-chicken-in-a-tasteless-broth concoction – was forgettable, as were the minimalist appetizers and the scant dessert. I found myself wishing that the event had been catered by Subway. Oh, well… I have been meaning to lose weight.
Because this resort is fundamentally a retirement community, there was a 9pm New Year’s toast. I am sure it was midnight somewhere in the Atlantic – maybe in Iceland – but the only real significance to 9pm was that the old people could drink the free glass of champagne then go home to bed.
About half the crowd stayed beyond 9pm and about a third made it all the way to midnight. But it was a quick midnight toast and the ballroom was empty by 12:03am.
So, not like the New Year’s Eve parties of my youth. But fun nevertheless.