For the second year in a row, they’re hosting a booze-less New Year’s Eve bash at Onondaga Lake Park here in Liverpool – the AmeriCU Credit Union and Burdick Family of Dealerships at Driver’s Village First Night.
Not only is drinking prohibited, so are dogs.
Now I don’t mind leaving Rover home, but how can you properly toast auld lang syne without a decent dram or two? Hoisting a latte just doesn’t cut it.
But that’s what they’ll be doin’ come Saturday night down on the lakeshore.
And they won’t be singing “Auld Lang Syne” either.
Mojave Desert rappers
Instead, the teetotalers have hired a Southern California rap act – the New Boyz – that specializes in a new dance style called “jerkin.” You do the dance by first doing the “jerk,” moving your legs in and out, before improvising moves such as the “reject,” the “dip” and the “pindrop.”
Unlike most rappers who sport baggy pants with shorts showin,’ jerkin’ crews wear “skinny jeans,” pants that actually fit, and old-school high-top sneakers. But they cling to the bling – especially gargantuan gold chains – and insist on wearing their ball caps all kinds of crooked.
Hailing from the Mojave Desert town of Hesperia, Calif., the New Boyz feature two 20-year-olds named Earl “Ben J” Benjamin and Dominic “Legacy” Thomas. In 2009, the duo scored its first Billboard Hot 100 hit with a track called “You’re a Jerk.”
New Boyz update
In the two years since releasing “You’re a Jerk,” the New Boyz have turned their attention from jerkin’ to their more recent hits such as “Tie Me Down,” “Backseat” and “Better with the Lights Off.”
The Boyz’ new promotional single, “Crush on You,” is showcased on the group’s second CD, tellingly titled “Too Cool to Care.”
Last year, First Night organizers claimed that 7,000 people took the pledge and listened to Jamaica-born singer Sean Kingston. All I know is that bass lines reverberated throughout the village for six solid hours, and the midnight fireworks were loud as blazes.
Averse to jerkin’?
And youngsters averse to jerkin’ might prefer to play laser tag or glow-in-the dark mini golf, both of which will be staged somewhere among the colorful Lights on the Lake tableaux. Oh, yeah, First Night also gives revelers a chance to walk through Lights on the Lake, and as the clock ticks down to midnight a sparkling orange ball will drop, followed by a fireworks display noisy enough to awaken weary villagers who happen to head to bed early.
Pre-sale tickets are available at all Wegmans locations for $5, and day-of tickets will cost $8. Kids ages 5 and younger will be admitted free; 471-9597; firstnightcny.com/.
Feeling hungry? Food from the Limp Lizard BBQ, Santillo’s and Dominos will be available for sale. Just don’t expect to wash it all down with a cold brew.
Feeling thirsty? If you show your First Night ticket at the Dunkin’ Donuts stand, they’ll pour you a complimentary hot beverage (while supplies last). Just don’t spike that coffee with Kahlua!
