Say goodbye to an old friend with fun, food, friends and everything else on the New Year’s side of happy.

Millions will be watching in person the traditional New Year’s Eve Ball drop at Time’s Square in New York’s Times Square. Millions more nationwide will have their eyes glued to their television sets at home in the good old USA. And over a billion more worldwide will be partying and celebrating with hope for the coming of another new year.

There’s more of the same revelry happening closer to home. The gatherings don’t boast 10-digit attendance volumes, nor do the entertainments ring a thousand more decibels in the noise factor. But where they beat the noise and crowds in New York are the down-home warmth of friends on a first-name basis and small-town camaraderie.

Here are a few places in Ripon and Lathrop where you can say goodbye to the old year and ring in the New Year with renewed hope and happiness.



RIPON

• Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1051 (Nicholas P. Kukulica) Hall, 12455 West Ripon Road

Staying true to its years-long tradition, the Ripon VFW Post 1051 will once again host a fun-filled auld lang syne – for the sake of good times – celebration of food, fun, dancing, music and camaraderie with friends at the Post Hall on West Ripon Road.

The following bill of fare is on tap for the last evening of the year 2013: a sit-down prime rib dinner with all the trimmings, party favors galore, and drinks for the entire evening.

Drinks will start flowing at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Music for revelry will be provided by a disc jockey.

Donation for the entire bill of fare described above is $45 per person with tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. All tickets must be paid in full.

The best part of the evening: there will be designated drivers for any guest who will be needing a ride home. There will be a sign-up sheet at the bar where those who want to volunteer as designated drivers can sign up that evening.

For additional information and for tickets, call 599-6815.

• Barnwood Restaurant & Catering, 338 E. Main Street

The restaurant’s New Year’s Eve special offering is a three-course meal complete with a bottle of wine and champagne for guests to give each other a toast and to welcome the New Year. Cost for this sumptuous dinner is $75. The restaurant will be open until 9 p.m. For additional questions, call the restaurant at 599-4324.



LATHROP

• TX Night Club, 16925 South Harlan Road, Suite 103

The place to be on New Year’s Eve “for mature party people” is TX Night Club in Lathrop located at 16925 South Harlan Road, Suite 103.

Dubbed the 7th annual Mega Mix Crew New Year’s Eve bash, the event will be broadcast live on radio at 1001.1 direct from the night club. Featured during the evening will be everyone’s favorite party music and videos with DJ Moe, DJ Rothell, and DJ Mario Elias as the featured disc jockeys.

The members night club enforces a strict dress code: no hats, no oversized jeans, no baggy clothes or athletic wear – just “dress to impress.”

For additional information about the New Year’s Eve extravaganza and about the club, visit www.txnightclub.com  or call (209) 495 9090.

• Dell’Osso Farms, 501 South Manthey Road

For families with young ones who want to spend quality time on New Year’s Eve sans the champagne toast at exactly midnight, Dell’Osso Farms’ Holidays on the Farm has just the right ambience and setting for the entire family to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new with joy. This Lathrop fun and fanciful destination during the holidays up to the New Year offers the following wholesome attractions that the entire family can enjoy: Lights on the Farm and Santa’s Village which are open through Jan. 1; Ice Skating on the Farm and Snow on the Farm which run through Jan. 4.

There is also Snow Tube Mountain for the more adventurous at heart which offers a chilly magical experience, with each 90-minute session for just $20.

Dell’Osso Family Farm is located at 501 South Manthey Road just off I-5 in west Lathrop. Additional information is available by calling (209) 982-0833 or visit www.holidaysonthefarm.com

Directions to the Dell’Osso Family Farm:

From Modesto - take Highway 99 to the 120 Bypass to I-5 South.  Take the first exit (just before I-205) Manthey Road, turn right at the stop sign.  Follow approximately .41 miles to Holidays on the Farm on the left.