Whitman, Massachusetts: Home of the Toll House Cookie. Yes, that is my little town's claim to fame, and that iconic cookie, made famous by Ruth Wakefield and catapulted to fame by Nestle, just turned 75 years old.
How do you celebrate something as major as that? You ask a local high school to build a six-foot cookie and drop it from the sky at midnight on New Year's Eve, of course! Sounds crazy, but that's exactly what happened last night in the town center, in front of Duval's Pharmacy and Mary Lou's Coffee. It wasn't "just a cookie". There were bands, a DJ, food vendors and lots and lots of people. There was also 2,014 homemade Toll House cookies given away, some Whitman First Night lip balms, LOUD horns, glow sticks and so much good cheer, you couldn't help but be glad you braved the cold and showed up. With funding from Nestle, the Whitman Winterfest Committee was able to put together a truly unique once in a life time event. WATD 95.9 FM was on hand with Kevin Tocci to do a live remote with up to date info and interviews with the key players who were "making history happen". If you were there, you know what an amazing job they did. If you couldn't make it, the photos will tell the tale.
DJ Big Daddy Ray from RPE was on hand as the Master of Ceremonies, kept the flow throughout the night that brought it all together. It's not a party until Big Daddy Ray is in the house.
Did I mention 2014 homemade Toll House Cookies?? Free for the asking, delicious for the eating, a hit all night long!
One moment in time that literally made my night… I witnessed Cookie Monster chasing a giant Toll House cookie down the street, clearly with intentions of also chasing a glass of milk if one happened by. But later in the night, there was this… and all was right in the world.
The big draw for the night was the music. The bands kept the crowds dancing, which in turn kept them warm. These bands gave their all, and it was nice to see someone in the crowd named Mary hand over a pair of gloves to one of the singers. Baby, it (was) cold outside!
6 Foot Sunday literally brought the crowd into midnight, finishing up their cover of Sweet Child o' Mine about 12 seconds before midnight (and the Toll House cookie drop). They did a "Linkin Park meets Skee Lo" cover of "I Wish" that should be at the top of the charts as we speak, and their unique take on "Airplanes" left the crowd pleading for more.
Finally (last but certainly not least) what's a First Night celebration with pyrotechnics? You can't drop a six-foot Toll House cookie at midnight without fireworks.
Thanks to all who helped make this night happen… Nestle, Whitman Fire Dept, Whitman Police Dept, and The Whitman Winterfest Committee. This blog post is a little more personal than most, but we want to say we are very grateful to live in such a wonderful small town. Have a great 2014!
