by Paul Nyberg
Two years from tonight something incredible will occur. Where will you be? There has been only one prior Millennium Eve since Christ's birth and that was Dec. 31, 999! We have no records of the parties held to celebrate that night, but we suggest we not let that stop us. And the good news is that Millennium Eve, Dec. 31, 1999, is a Friday night.
People are already making plans for this historic night. Some are going to Paris and Rome and London and New York, some on cruises, some to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, some to Tahiti, some to Tahoe.
And then there are the thousands of local residents who want to be home with their families, friends and neighbors. We propose that Los Altos and Los Altos Hills plan a party to end all parties on the evening of Dec. 31, 1999. It is for those of us who choose to stay in our home town and yet feel we have had the best of all parties, that we really feted the new millennium.
So where can we have a party for 5,000 people on Millennium Eve, a party that defies the weather, traffic and parking? Here are some ideas to consider:
1. Put a tent over Main Street from State Street to Foothill Expressway.
2. Fill the tent with bands, food, drinks, games, dancing, shows and family fun.
3. Set up large video monitors and connect via the Internet with Los Altans who are celebrating around the world, from Paris to Capetown.
4. Set up a quiet area for the local churches to have a special service for those who want to pray or meditate on this historic night.
5. Stage a midnight run per days of old.
6. Maintain video contact with El Camino and Stanford hospitals to watch the first local birth in the new millennium.
7. Plan at least one wedding for a couple who chooses to get married at midnight.
8. Have artists on hand to capture families and couples on this night.
9. Set up an arcade of video games that are free for kids so they will stick around.
10. Provide shuttles and free transportation to all persons so traffic, parking and driving will be simple and "designated" drivers will not be needed.
11. Make it a low-pressure, low cost fund-raiser for the 67 different not-for-profit agencies who serve our communities.
We propose an official Los Altos Millennium Eve Celebration Exploration Committee. It could include a representative from each church, the schools, city hall, city council, the business community and a member from each nonprofit organization in town (see Town Crier chart in the Dec. 10, 1997, issue). The exploration committee would simply discuss the feasibility of a big hometown party to enjoy this once-in-a-1,000-years event.
A brainstorming session for all interested is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 22, 1998, in the Town Crier Back Room. Please call 948-9000 Ext. EVE for the Millennium Hot Line to R.S.V.P. if you want to come. Refreshments will be served by the Town Crier.
Paul Nyberg, the publisher of the Town Crier, has owned the paper since March 1993. This year the paper celebrated its 50th anniversary.