The Bellingham Business Journal

Audio Innovations, in partnership with Kerrie Efendi Designs & Eldad Efendi Photography, is organizing a new Bellingham New Year’s event, “First Night Bellingham – A Formal Affair” at the Lakeway Inn on Dec. 31 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. with all proceeds benefiting the Whatcom Volunteer Center.

Tickets are sold online at www.firstnightbellingham.com for $49 for singles and $79 for couples. The tickets include entrance, one raffle entry, one drink ticket, appetizers and a midnight champagne toast.

The Lakeway Inn ballroom will be decorated with a New York theme with a red carpet, high-end photography “paparazzi style,” with greenery, street lights and park benches to give the space a “Central Park” feel, said Haley Kensok, co-owner of Audio Innovations.

“The vision for this event is to provide a “black tie” affair for the community of Bellingham to attend instead of going to a bar or sitting at home,” Kensok said.

There will also be a live feed of the NYC ball drop on a screen for attendees and a balloon drop at midnight.

At the Web site, there are also discounted room rates at the Lakeway Inn for the first 25 to buy tickets.