First Night Westport Button Design Debuts

Two Xs morph into two stick figures on a button heralding the 20th annual First Night Westport celebration of New Year’s Eve. Westport graphic designer and author Miggs Burroughs has designed the button sponsored by Melissa & Doug, the Wilton-based toy company, owned by Melissa and Doug Bernstein of Westport.

The button is the entry ticket to all entertainment venues in downtown Westport from 4 to 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.  Designer Burroughs says the Roman numeral XX with little circles above each become stick figures with raised hands in a celebratory pose. In speaking about the design process Burroughs says, “Sometimes, the best logos evolve in a very serendipitous way, but I choose to believe that certain logos just wait to be discovered by the designer, through trial and error.”

Early Bird button sales begin Dec. 2 and will be only $10 through Dec. 14. On Dec. 15, the button price will be $15. Children 2 years old and under are free.

Buttons may be purchased at the following Westport locations: Westport Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Ave.; Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place; Westport Public Library, Jesup Green; Oscar’s Deli, 159 Main St.; Trader Joe’s, 400 Post Rd. E.; TDBank, 185 Main St.; and at Weston Hardware, 190 Weston Rd. in Weston.

In addition to its popular Westport venues including the town, hall, historical society library, Christ and Trinity Church, Toquet Hall, the Y, First Night will return to the Saugatuck Elementary School, Riverside Avenue, as a special venue for families and children.

Barbara Pearson-Rac, executive director of First Night’s Board of Directors, is seeking additional corporate sponsors to help underwrite this year’s First Night’s anniversary celebration. Corporate sponsorships range from $500 to $15,000. 

Possible sponsorships include; sponsoring a major leading venue; presenting sponsor for a specific show; or sponsoring horse and carriage rides through downtown Westport, or the bonfire at Jesup Green.

For further information about sponsorships or any other information contact the First Night office at 203-341-1041; send an email to firstnight@westportct.gov .; or visit the First Night web site at www.firstnightww.com

First Night is a 501c (3) not-for-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. All funds raised are used to produce the event. The first First Night was in Boston in 1975 when a group of artists organized a non-alcoholic celebration of the arts to herald in a new year.

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