Celebrating our
11th anniversary!

First Night is a community celebration of the New Year through the arts. It is an alcohol-free, public celebration that marks the passage from the old year to the new with art, ritual and festivity. Once again, the logo for 2012 was designed by Paul Venit.

For the first time, the First Night® Hazleton committee has decided to commission an artist to design its logo.  Paul Venit, who has designed the logo in two previous years, was commissioned not only for this year but was awarded a five year contract.    

“Although we have enjoyed the logo design contest, we decided to move forward with an idea through which we would have a long-term relationship with our logo artist,” said Lena Kotansky, First Night ® coordinator, “This will enable us to have more open communication with the designer and give both us and him the opportunity to explore new and different ideas.”

Venit is the son of Dr. Bethany Venit of Drums.  He is a 2001 graduate of Bishop Hafey Jr./Sr. High School and a 2005 graduate of Kutztown University with a Bachelor’s  Degree in Communication Design.  He is employed by WeatherBug, Germantown, MD, as an Interactive Designer and currently resides  in Frederick, MD with his wife, Michelle.

First Night revives the ancient traditions of marking the passage of time in a present day context. It was invented by a group of civic-minded artists in Boston as a meaningful alternative to traditional New Years Eve revelry. Offered to the city as a finale to its Bicentennial events in 1976, it was also the beginning of a new tradition that brought the neighboring communities together through a joint celebration.

The objective of First Night is to recapture the symbolic significance of the passage from the old year to the new; to unite the community through a shared cultural celebration; and to deepen and broaden the publics appreciation of the visual and performing arts.

The First Night® committee will be selling  t-shirts with Venit’s design on them at the City’s Independence Day event on Saturday, July 2.  The booth will be across from the main entrance of the stadium, where the festivities will be taking place.  In addition to the shirts, other First Night merchandise, including light-up wands, feather boas and hats, jester hats, and other items will be available at the booth.

For more information about First Night, to volunteer your time, or to learn about becoming a sponsor, please contact Lena Kotansky, First Night Coordinator at 459-4947 or on the Web at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .