PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A modest crowd danced and jammed to the music at the New Year’s Eve celebration hosted by Pride Aroostook inside The Northeastland Hotel Sunday night.
The doors for the event opened at 8 p.m. with couples sharing the dance floor with a broadcast of the New Year’s Eve ball drop in New York City’s Times Square playing in the background.
Pride Aroostook New Year’s Eve celebration was open to people, and allies, of the LGBTQ community. It was the first time Pride Aroostook celebrated New Years at The Northeastland Hotel.
“Considering this is our first New Year’s [Eve] it is going pretty good,” said Shawna Traugh, executive committee member for Pride Aroostook.
Pride Aroostook planned to host a New Year’s Eve event because there aren’t a lot of New Year’s events happening locally. Some guests came from the Bangor and Houlton areas to attend the event but most guests were from the Central Aroostook area, Traugh said.
“Any time we have an event we try it out and figure out if this is the direction we want to go in terms of next year,” Traugh said.
Pride Aroostook has developed a working relationship with The Northeastland Hotel and plans on holding more events in the hotel’s event center. Events planned for 2024 are the Pride Aroostook Gala and Youth Prom but dates haven’t been set yet.
No theme was set for the New Year’s Eve celebration with some people showing up in full formal dress and casual dress. Pride Aroostook encouraged people to come and enjoy the space as the ball dropped on the televised countdown to midnight.
