The crowd disperses after the fireworks conclude ushering in a New Year. Photo by Susan Raines.

If you’ve lived fifty years or only five years in the Sacramento region you may have encountered a wide range of local talent and pleasures by attending the many events of the city. On December 31^st the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau offered a nice mix of performing talent for ringing in 2010. The New Year’s Eve Spectacular filled the tent at Waterfront Park with Jimi Hendrix fans celebrating the evening with performances by Ralph Woodson Experience and down the street at Front and J some rockin’ blues was good cause for smiles with Allie Marcel and Friends mixing it up with some smooth sound.  This team of talented musicians enchanted cycles of small crowds as they gathered in front of their performing station while celebrating pedestrians came and went along Front Street and through the vehicle-free streets of old town.  Marcel has been performing at special Sacramento events since 1994 and has been a featured New Year's Eve Spectacular performer for the past five years. Second Saturday Art Walk fans can also find his art work on site during different times of the year.

Allie Marcel and friends keeps the Old Town crowds entertained as the evening approaches the fireworks finale. Photo by Susan Raines.

 Shops remaining open drew patrons in with storefront displays of festive clothing, food, and fun. The clubs were brimming, the streets moderately crowded, and on Front and K Streets the air was set afire with the Obsidian Butterfly team twirling away in their magical dances of fire and glow. At 9:00 pm and then again at midnight the sky was filled with the anticipated spectacular of fireworks illuminating the bridge and sky with many colors of spark and flame. At midnight the bridge front was packed with people seeking the enchantment of exploding colors as the year passed away with shouts and boisterous cheers. The barricaded bridge glowed golden in the night lit with a full, blue moon rare and beautiful in its new year glow.

Obsidian Butterfly sets the evening aglow with ribbons of light. Photo by Susan Raines.

At the end of 2009 the crowds enjoying the pleasures of Sacramento old town quietly dispersed and jammed the streets once again with vehicles now exiting rather than entering the city. The evening was complete and full for many as the clubs were left behind to cater to the hardy partiers of 2010. Street musicians, fire dancers, and candy shop employees were left behind to gather their gear, close doors, and wrap up the night. The Spectacular may not have held the thrills of a roller coaster ride but the new year was well dressed with talented performers, citizens, and good fun.  Please see the slideshow below for more images of Allie Marcel and Friends band members, fireworks, and the Old Town celebration of the arrival of 2010.