Liverpool (WSYR-TV) - With the help of a new corporate partner, Onondaga County is planning to take the annual "Lights on the Lake" event to a whole new level this year, with a New Year's Eve party.
Now in its third decade, "Lights on the Lake" draws tens of thousands of visitors every year. This winter, the new twist will be a family-friendly New Year's Eve celebration that will be called "First Night at Lights on the Lake." Roads will be closed to vehicles, allowing people to roam through the light display all night long while they listen to live music.
The headline musical act will be Sean Kingston, and at midnight there will be a fireworks display over Onondaga Lake. There will also be an early-evening balloon drop for the kids.
Additionally, Gerry McNamara will attend to push a button that will activate a giant orange and Todd Hobin's band will be performing.
Entry to the event will cost $5, and children under the age of five will get in for free.
Ed Levine's Galaxy Communications is taking over the marketing of lights on the lake. County Parks will still string the lights, but Galaxy will run the show. "Whatever your New Year's Eve plans are, change them, because you're going to want to be here at Lights on the Lake on New Year's Eve," Levine said. "We all live here, we all know what the climate is, and it's time we stopped complaining about it and start appreciating it. And say 'yeah, it gets cold here, yeah it snows here, but we're gonna have some fun on New Year's Eve.'"
Galaxy Communications will pay the County at least $945,000 over the next three years to cover the fixed costs of running the event. Wegmans will remain the prime sponsor, but the deal allows Galaxy to find more sponsors and do more promotion.
County Executive Joanne Mahoney praised the new partnership Friday. "It is one of those partnerships that will be to the benefit of all of us," she said.
