BATTLE MOUNTAIN - There are plenty of ways to welcome in the New Year and many Lander County families are doing it their own way with unique plans and fun family traditions.
Dorothy Mason, of Battle Mountain, has some big plans for the holiday. Her celebration will start the evening of Dec. 29 which is her 70th birthday. Her family is taking her to Elko to enjoy a steak and lobster dinner at Aspens. She and her husband, Dave, will spend three nights in Elko.
On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the couple plans to attend as many movies as they can with their family. One of Dave Mason's favorite things to do is to go to the movies, said Dorothy. Dave Mason's 74th birthday is on New Year's Day.
Yessica Montero plans to stay home with her family and carry out her annual New Year' Eve tradition of eating 12 grapes - one for each month and one wish per grape. The family also has the unusual tradition of carrying a suitcase around their house in the hopes of getting to take a trip somewhere, said Montero.
Montero will spend New Year's Day relaxing, watching movies and eating all day with her husband, Sergio Ramirez, her mother-in-law Maria Ramirez, and her son, Anthony Ramirez, 2.
Liz Dias, of Battle Mountain, and her family are taking a break from their usual New Year's Eve tradition of throwing a big dance at the Battle Mountain Civic Center to drive to Yerington to visit friends and hang out.
Dias' husband, Jessie, and her kids Marbella, 12, Sirena, 7, and Omar, 3, will be joining her. They will spend the night there and drive home on New Year's Day.
Keith Westengard, Lander County's safety manager, is planning to spend a quiet night at home on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day, he will head out to the Battle Mountain Volunteer Fire Department's annual fundraiser and celebration to enjoy some of Pete's chorizo. He might also settle in to watch some football, he said.
After finishing up his shift, Battle Mountain Nevada Highway Patrol Sgt. Tony Roth will spend New Year's Eve with his family and crack open a bottle of champagne with his wife, Elaine. He will be heading back to work on New Year's Day.
Battle Mountain's Brenda Thomas will be keeping up her annual tradition of serving bratwurst and sauerkraut to her family and friends at her home on New Year's Eve.
Shayne Villanueva and her family are planning to enjoy a big dinner at her in-laws' house, Rosa and Manuel Villanueva. After that, she and her family will head down to the firehouse to buy raffle tickets for the New Year's Day raffle drawings.
At midnight, Villanueva plans to take her kids to Front Street to watch the fireworks. On New Year's Day, she will hang out with her family and they may all go down to the firehouse to see if they won any of the raffle drawings, she said.
In celebration of the New Year, Tammy Conner and her husband, Rod Davis, of Battle Mountain, are heading to Denver to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the Denver Broncos. She is a Kansas City fan while her husband is a Peyton Manning fan. The couple will be flying home on New Year's Eve. Their usual tradition is to stay home and watch football.
Anne Shelton, of Battle Mountain, is planning to do what she does every year on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day - stay home and watch football and then visit the firehouse for some chorizo and to play the raffles and socialize with friends.
Battle Mountain's Laura Schmidt and her husband, Joe Moskiewicz, are planning to stay home for New Year's Eve. In the past, they have enjoyed a seafood shellfish dinner on New Year's Eve and may do that again this year, said Schmidt. On New Year's Day, they plan to take down their Christmas decorations and take their two dogs out in the desert for some playtime.
Bradley Ward, of Kingston, and his wife, Velinda, will be heading to the Miles End Lodge Bed and Breakfast on New Year's Eve to celebrate with friends. After that, they will head over to Zach's Lucky Spur Saloon. On New Year's Day, the Wards will keep up with their annual tradition of Velinda making pozole and tamales for friends who stop by.
Patsy Waits, of Austin, is planning to have a quiet night at home with her husband, Pat, and their many animals. The Waits have one dog, a female Akita named Kutzu, 11, and a 24-year-old male Moluccan cockatoo named Rocky. The couple also has a goat, geese, chickens and guinea hens. They plan to spend New Year's Day visiting friends around town.
Patsy Waits made several resolutions this year that consist of eating healthier and drinking more water, being more environmentally responsible and using diligence in her elected service position and fidelity to every trust. Waits will be a new Lander County commissioner and will be sworn in on Jan. 7.
Lander County School Board member Jan Morrison, of Austin, also had something to say about resolutions.
"Years ago I made a New Year resolution not to make any more resolutions," she said. "Instead, I look forward to each January with great enthusiasm and anticipation of precious time spent with loved ones and working hard to make my small corner of the world just a little bit better."
Battle Mountain's Sue Vandemark, who is the store manager at Wells Fargo, will be working on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day, she plans to relax and do nothing.
Tiffany Ostler, of Battle Mountain, plans to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day relaxing at home with her family. Ashley Albano, of Battle Mountain, is planning to either stay home with family on New Year's Eve or head over to a rodeo in Spring Creek, she said. She has no plans yet for New Year's Day.
Lorrie Sparks said her family loves to relax on New Year's Day.
"We take down Christmas lights and decorations and just hang around, enjoying our family," she said. "We love to watch movies and just be lazy on that day."
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