No cheering Carytown celebration

By Michael Paul Williams

Published: January 3, 2009

The security measures for the Carytown New Year's Eve party were enough to make one wonder, "Who phoned in the bomb threat?"

How else do you explain the panic-stricken approach to the celebration?

After a few problems last year but no major incidents, recently hired Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood doubled the bill for police protection for Wednesday night's event. Add the amount Carytown merchants paid for private security and the cost of barricades to create an emergency lane down the middle of West Cary Street, and expenses approached $60,000.

Some of that was defrayed by a new $2 "donation" that felt more like a shakedown to some folks. "The woman was really aggressive, so I gave her $2," said Kelsey Hulvey, 21, an employee at Bin 22 at Betsy's. Hulvey saw others walk into the event for free.

It should be pointed out that admission to New York's Times Square celebration is free.

Carytown employees were sweated by security or money-takers as they attempted to make their way to work.

"I think they overdid the security this year. . . . They were everywhere," said Vicky Hester, owner of Babes. Devin Ayers, manager at Can Can Brasserie, said he was confronted four times by security personnel on his way to work.

Merchants like a safe environment. If they're saying the security was a bit much, it needs to be revisited.

Pedestrians with no plans to attend the celebration were rerouted. People decided to stay home rather than deal with the hassle.

"They seemed to want to make it family-friendly, but it wasn't friendly," Nic Smith said as he sat at the bar of New York Deli.

"It's a joke," said David Johnson, the deli's promotions director. "They ruined New Year's Eve in Richmond."

His list of grievances included the suggested admission and having the bandstand moved to the other end of Carytown and away from the historic Byrd Theatre, where the New Year's ball rises.

Demetrios Tsiptsis, the deli's proprietor and the brainchild of the New Year's celebration, was especially rankled by having the stage moved.

"You don't have the ball in Times Square and the activities in Brooklyn," he said during a telephone interview.

The barricades down the middle of the street also irritated him. "It destroys the feel of it, the whole event. Who wants to celebrate New Year's in what looks like a prison courtyard?"

Emaleigh Franzak, a manager at Plan 9 Records, said the idea of paying to enter the event was a turnoff. "A lot of my friends didn't want to go this year because of that, plus it was windy and cold," said Franzak, 27.

Franzak and co-worker P.J. Sykes agreed that the event had lost its soul.

To regain it, the city and Carytown's merchants need to make some changes before next New Year's Eve. People should not be asked to pay to enter a public street celebration. And Carytown need not be transformed into a police state to usher in the new year.
Contact Michael Paul Williams at (804) 649-6815 or .