Buccaneer's Ball Rings In New Year For Families

The Berkshire Museum will host it's annual family New Year's Eve Celebration on Sunday, December 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The "Buccaneers Ball" will be the finale to the Festival of Trees by the Sea. Kids (and brave adults) are invited to come in seafaring costume (pirates, mermaids, fish, lobsters, Hawaiian shirts, etc.).

Following an 11 a.m. performance by the steel drum band, Caribbean for Kids, partygoers will countdown to noon to ring in the New Year, then form a conga line to the Crane Room for refreshments. From 1 to 2 p.m., the program "Shiver Me Timbers" will explore pirate lore. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for children ages 3-18 ($5/$3 for members); children under 3 are admitted free. The ticket includes admission to the Festival of Trees. Advance reservations are recommended to ensure a seat in the theater.

"The family New Year's Eve ball is a great tradition at the Berkshire Museum," said Stuart A. Chase, executive director. "The countdown, twelve hours early, is a fun way for kids to capture the New Year Eve excitement. We hope to see lots of pirates and mermaids. Any princesses or ugly bugs who enjoyed previous year's themes are welcome too."

Led by Joan Robb, Caribbean for Kids performs traditional Caribbean tunes as well as children's favorites put to a Caribbean beat. With steel drum, vocals, guitar, bass, handpercussion, and conga, the quartet presents the music of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados. Their shows encourage audience participation through shakers and other instruments for kids, the limbo stick for dancing, and movement and sing-along songs. Caribbean for Kids has performed at the Big E, the Somersworth, N.H., Children's Festival, the Maine Arts Festival, and the Riverfest in Hartford, Conn., as well as amusement parks, school, parks, libraries, and First Night celebrations throughout New England.
The Gallery Discovery Program "Shiver Me Timbers! It's a Jolly Roger!" will be offered in the Festival of Trees from 1 to 2 p.m. At the drop-in program, visitors will learn the truth behind pirate legends and pick up some pirate slang.

Free giveaways during the day (while supplies last) include eye patches and other pirate paraphernalia.
The Buccaneer's Ball is inspired by the pirates featured in the Festival of Trees by the Sea. In the "Maritime Legends Hall of Fame," visitors encounter pirate "artifacts" including a cannon, Davy Jones' locker, Cap'n Hook's hook and crocodile skull, eye patches, and more. Several trees are decorated in pirate fashion, including a"desert island" palm tree with pirate skeleton by New Life Chiropractic; treasure chest trees by Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter and Berkshire West Athletic Club, a pirate ship tree by H&S Auto Parts, and the Songs of the Sea tree by Workshop Live. A free treasure map is available at the front desk; children who complete the treasure hunt receive a prize.

The Berkshire Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 31. The Festival of Trees By the Sea is on view at the Berkshire Museum through December 31. Some 200 decorated trees fill the galleries for the Festival of Trees "By the Sea." Tree decorators-local businesses, organizations, and school children-have created trees inspired by the theme, including lighthouses, pirates, mermaids, Moby Dick, sailboats, and more. Highlights include a walk-in coral reef replica complete with coral specimens and a life-size model shark.

By www.berkshiremuseum.org