Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, December 24, 1993                   TAG: 9312280245
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Almena Hughes Staff Writer
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FIRST NIGHT FIRSTS

There'll be many firsts at the third annual First Night Roanoke New Year's Eve celebration.

Jamie Greenberg, the "imaginologist" in the one-man show, "Imagine If with Jamie and the Imaginites," is one of them. He was on the road recently, giving one of his roughly 300 yearly national and international performances. But Alison Schertz, his wife, managing director, music writer and "partner in crime," speaking from their home base in Valley Cottage, N.Y., described the one-man act Greenberg will bring to Roanoke as interactive, participatory and a lot of fun.

The musical adventure uses life-size body puppets, assorted props, masks and mime to tell the story of a boy who meets and creates several colorful characters - including a plate-faced, cigar-fingered "plate-a-puss" and a self-explanatory "balloon-a-tic" - and learns fun ways to turn off television while being cured of a bad case of TV-itis. The audience, of all ages, joins him in learning songs, doing walks and creating characters that show the importance and infinitude of imagination.

Also first-timing at this year's First Night Roanoke will be Disorderly Conduct, a husband-and-wife team from Gaithersburg, Md., whose circus-y slapstick antics have drawn national and international rave reviews. Speaking recently from Maryland before rushing off to catch a plane, Joan Houghton said she and her husband, Scott, have been doing their act for about eight years and have appeared on TV on the Home Box Office channel and the Statler Brothers show. She promised that after seeing their self-described offbeat act, backed with rock music by the Macaw's Band, audiences will understand why it's called Disorderly Conduct. "It's catchy and very descriptive of our show," Houghton said.

Other new and notable inclusions in this year's festivities include an architectural scavenger hunt; a karaoke and light show; hay rides; miniature golf; an "art car," which attendees will decorate with buttons from past years' Festivals in the Park; and "horror flicks," shown at the YMCA's indoor swimming pool. Bring your swimsuit and a towel.

The annual alcohol-free celebration, an event of Roanoke Festival in the Park, last year drew more than 10,000 participants to downtown Roanoke, mainly on Norfolk Avenue and between Second and Fifth Streets.

This year, First Night Roanoke will feature 12 locations with 35 hands-on activities and 75 stage performances geared to a range of ages and tastes. It will begin at 6 p.m. and end with a Chinese Dragon candlelight processional at 11:45 p.m. and fireworks at midnight.

Event buttons, required for admission, are $5 for adults, $3 for children 2 to 12 if purchased in advance, or $7 for adults, $5 for children 2 to 12 if bought the night of First Night at any entrance. Buttons are available at Harris Teeter stores, Seven-Eleven stores, Heironimus, N&W Federal Credit Union, Virginia First Savings Bank, Bank of Floyd, Southwest Virginia Savings, NBC Bank, Davidsons and Davidsons Outdoors, Audiotronics, B&D Comics, Domino's Pizza, Corned Beef & Co. restaurant, Parlor Days restaurant, Bank of Fincastle, Roanoker Restaurant, The Roanoke Athletic Club, The Virginia Museum of Transportation, The YMCA, the Roanoke Times & World-News and Valley View customer service desk.