Families celebrate 2015 at First Night Spokane

When the doors of the Spokane Convention Center opened for Kids Night Out early Wednesday afternoon, the volunteers outnumbered the children. But it didn’t take long for a steady stream of kids and families to turn the ballrooms into bustling centers of New Year’s Eve cheer. Stages were set up for performances by variety acts, dancers and magicians, and volunteers helped kids make crafts. In addition to the traditional New Year’s Eve hats and masks, kids also could decorate a marmot, create a shark puppet or craft a noise maker. Joan and Vic Farni, both volunteers with the downtown Kiwanis Club, were ready to help. “It’s fun to talk to the kids,” Joan Farni said. It was their second year helping out at the event and they were accompanied by several other club members. Tija Smith brought her three sons to the event for the third time. The kids like the crafts. “Last year we stayed for the whole thing,” Smith said. “It seems like there’s a bunch more stuff to do this year.” Their first stop was the mask decorating table. Smith’s youngest son, age 4, was content to scribble on orange eyebrows and call it done. His 9- and 7-year-old brothers, however, went for something more elaborate. Several kids were in a separate room getting designs painted on their faces. Bridget Sherwood brought her daughter and niece in for a little face art and then decided to sit down herself. “Oh, why not,” she said as a green star was painted on her cheek. “I loved it when I was a kid.” Sherwood said she has lived in Spokane for years but never came to any First Night activities before. This year she came to the children’s event because her son was involved in a robotics demonstration. “It’s actually a lot of fun,” she said. “I’ll probably come back next year.”