The Third Annual Midnight in the Square, a New Year’s Eve celebration in Kennett Square that has mushroomed into a quirky, family-friendly event, ushered in 2016 with a 500-pound stainless steel spore.
As illumination from P.A.W.N. Laser zigzagged across the borough’s downtown, Rich Nichols of Bob’s Crane Service lowered the giant, lighted mushroom 80 feet as thousands of onlookers counted down to the new year.
Once the hefty ‘shroom descended into the center of the intersection of State and Union Streets, Nichols let it hover – just out of reach of the sea of outstretched arms. He maneuvered it around the crowd as eyes popped and cameras flashed.
With the exception of one arrest for disorderly conduct, the crowd was well-behaved, said Kennett Square Police Chief Edward A. Zunino. “We usually have no problems at all associated with this event,” he said, adding that the spectators dispersed quickly and orderly after the drop. “There was a lot of traffic, but no traffic problems,” he said.
Kathi Lafferty, the lead organizer who also spearheads the Mushroom Festival, said the feedback she received rated the event “the best so far.” She said it couldn’t have happened without a dedicated crew of volunteers and sponsors, and she’s already working on preparations for next year.
She said the addition of the laser show proved popular and exceeded her expectations. “When I saw what they were able to do, I said, ‘Wow,’ she explained. “I’ve already talked to them about returning next year.”
The laser show also factored into an unconventional marriage proposal that came together quickly and added some drama to the evening. Lafferty said Fred McCarthy was performing on New Year’s Eve at La Verona Restaurant when he approached Nichols to see if he could borrow the microphone for a few minutes.
After a series of surreptitious texts that involved Lafferty, the laser light crew, and the Funsters, the band rocking an audience a block from the lighted mushroom, McCarthy surprised his girlfriend, Jackie Hopkins, by popping the question in stereo for all to hear.
As Hopkins recovered from her shock and said yes, images of a diamond and the words “Fred and Jackie” were projected onto the Genesis building. The crowd roared its approval.
Lafferty said another positive addition involved The Garage Youth Center, which opened so that children could have space for face-painting and balloon-sculpturing. “The place was packed and actually stayed open an extra hour to please the kids,” Lafferty said. “It was awesome!”
She said this year’s timetable addressed a need for senior citizens and families with young children to retire before midnight by holding an 8 p.m. ceremony for the lighting and raising of the mushroom. She said she contacted all of the area senior communities to let them know that they could participate in the festivities without staying out late.
“I’m not sure if they took advantage of that,” she said.
Lafferty said all of the street vendors – an array that ran the gamut from apple ginger pie to gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches – sold out of food, and every restaurant that was open was packed. She said one of her few regrets was that not all of the borough businesses participated.
She estimated the pricetag at about $30,000, all of which comes at no cost to the borough. Sponsors, who included the Kennett Area Restaurant and Merchants Association, M & P Custom Design, VP Electrical Contracting, Inc., the Mushroom Festival, To-Jo Mushroom, and Bob’s Crane Service, cover some costs.
Raffle tickets for three baskets valued at $2,000 each also helped defray the expenses, ranging from the parking shuttle buses to insurance and security costs. Lafferty said the lucky raffle winners were Tia Scott, Mike Flanagan and John Rush.
Admission to Midnight on the Square is a non-perishable item or canned good, and volunteers from the Kennett Area Community Services' food cupboard happily filled two trucks.
Lafferty said performers from Longwood Dance were a hit, and she hopes to include more entertainment next year. She said a glitch occurred with this year’s heated-tent offering, an option that carried a $10 cover charge and was supposed to have wine and beer.
Unfortunately, the necessary license wasn’t secured in time so only beer samples could be served, Lafferty said. “That definitely won’t happen again,” she said.
Another last-minute scare turned into a positive, Lafferty said, explaining that she noticed that some of the lights weren’t working when the mushroom appeared in the Christmas parade. So new ones had to be ordered.
“They didn’t arrive until the day before yesterday [New Year’s Eve],” she said. With time running short, they decided to leave the old lights in place, many of which were still working, and add the new ones, she said.
“Some people didn’t believe it was the same mushroom,” Lafferty said. “It looked absolutely great with the double-stranding.”
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