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Highlands Today

Celebrating New Year's With A Bang

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

Barbara Driggers, co-owner of Big Bang Fireworks, sets up her stand on the corner of U.S. 27 South and Grand Prix Drive with about 65 types of fireworks on Monday in Sebring.

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By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: December 30, 2008

SEBRING - Not everyone can make it to New York's famous Times Square block party to watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve, and certainly not everyone would want to.

People celebrate New Year's Eve in a variety of ways, from a quiet evening at home reminiscing the days of Guy Lombardo, to a family barbecue, filled with music and fireworks to dressing up for a big night out on the town.

There are several vendors selling fireworks in Highlands County.

TNT Fireworks has two locations this year; one in Avon Park at the new Wal-Mart selling the "safe and sensible" kind and another in Sebring halfway between Grand Prix Drive and New Life Way, on the west side of U.S. 27, selling a little of everything from safe to "be very careful."

No matter which you choose, "Follow the directions on the package and be safe" said Judy Ray, proprietor, and they should always be used with adult supervision. You must be 18 or older to buy.

Sebring resident Dusty Keppel was at TNT's Sebring location Monday, shopping for some fireworks with her husband Douglas' best friend, Justin Perlow, who was visiting from Amityville, in Long Island, N.Y.

"We're going to have a big cookout with about 35 people," said Keppel. "And just celebrate New Year's Eve with family and friends."

Ray said this year the proceeds from both locations will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Highlands County.

"We're trying to make the Boys and Girls Club as much money as we can," said Ray.

Sales are down a lot, she said.

"We're hoping people will wake up on New Year's and say 'Hey, it's a new year, it's gonna get better. Let's celebrate,'" she said.

Both locations are offering a nice fireworks giveaway prize, so just go and enter.

Justin and Barbara Driggers own the Big Bang Fireworks stand at the corner of Grand Prix Drive and U.S. 27.

"This is our first year in business," said Justin Driggers. "We've been doing it since the Fourth of July."

At that time they were located at U.S. 98.

They've got all kinds of things that go boom and light up the night, from firecrackers to bottle-rockets to mortars to Roman candles, Smiley Faces and cakes. They have 60 to 65 different kinds of fireworks.

"We've been set up since the day before Thanksgiving," he said. "Sales have been really good - surprisingly for the economy."

"Guys (the adult children) love the Top Shelf (mortars)," said Barbara Driggers. "There are 12 in a box and each has to be dropped and lit. It gives them a little time to play with it."

She said most, maybe 75 percent, of their customers are adult males with teenage boys. There are moms who come occasionally, "But they mainly watch," she said.

"A lot of people come back every day because they shot them off," she said.

And of course she and her husband have to try them out, too.

"People always ask what they do, so we have to know," she added.

New Year's Eve

For a more traditional New Year's Eve celebration, there are dozens of choices advertised in Highlands County.

Shawn Telesky is assistant manager at the Four Points by Sheraton Sebring, Château Elan, at the Sebring International Raceway.

Their party will begin at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31, until 1 a.m. Jan. 1, where guests will enjoy an open bar and be served a variety of dinner choices on its dinner buffet with several dinner package options with a champagne toast.

This year's party will be held in its new Lemans Ballroom and ticket sales have been brisk, he said.

"They're slightly ahead of last year in the number of guests," Telesky said. "Eighty-five percent are repeat customers from last year."

Michael Peek is the general manager at the Quality Inn and Conference Center.

He said his New Year's Eve dinner sales look about the same as last year, "maybe a little better."

Quality Inn offers five choices of dinners and three dinner-party packages.

"We think it's going to be a great year because we have our conference space here and we're expanding," said Peek. "It's going to be a better year than 2008 because we are bringing in meetings and groups that will utilize our conference spaces."

Natalia Kopaneva is the manager at Inn on the Lakes. The Inn will offer guests a five-course dinner, and rooms are available for guests who would prefer to stay the night.

"We're doing very well," she said. "Sales are up and we are staying busy. We are pretty booked for New Year's but we are taking reservations."

She said she felt the Inn's decorations were worth coming in to take a picture.

I think we've got the best decorations," she said.

Highlands Today reporter Joe Seelig can be reached at (863) 386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com .

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