SMDC New Year's Eve Party at the DECC in Duluth

DECC Employee Pat (left) of Hermantown
and Event Lab employee Ryan of Minneapolis
load balloons Saturday for the midnight drop
during the SMDC New Year’s Eve party
Monday night.

photo by Clint Austin
excerpt from Duluth News Tribune, Dec 30, 2007

Each year, the Saint Mary’s Duluth Clinic (SMDC) sponsors a large New Year’s Eve Party at the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center (DECC). This year, Event Labs decorated the space for 4 separate parties. My friend Toni works for Event Labs and so many of us often get recruited to help. The Rabbit and I jumped at our chance for free hotel, included meals, and some quick cash. Not to mention free attendance to one of the biggest New Year’s Eve parties around.

We arrived in Duluth bright and early Friday morning after a 2 1/2 hour drive. After breakfast we headed to the DECC to start setting things up. Much of the work was in the hockey arena where the ice had been melted and the stage for Boogie Wonderland was being set up. 54 feet above the arena floor, some of us tiptoed around the catwalk hanging 6 foot diameter lanterns from the ceiling and tying up about 150 red balloons. No one left work that day without Nena’s “99 Red Balloons” in their head. That is if their ears had stopped ringing from the cannon boom that resulted from random balloons popping.

Saturday, we spent 4 hours blowing up 1500 little red balloons for the midnight drop. The local paper was there to snap a few photos and take notes (see inserts). There were many tired and raw fingers after that. read more »