When barroom bottles of bubbly finally pop at midnight, it will mark the end of an evening that has been months in the making.
New Year's Eve is traditionally a night when revelers expect a party and bars pull out the stops.
Dakota West, the promotions manager at the Country Club, said the bar chose to book three rising acts from Nashville, Tenn. -- Lee Brice, Justin Moore and Jeremy McComb -- in an effort to stand out in the increasingly crowded marketplace.
"We knew we could have gone with some of our regular acts, guys that roll in here a lot," he said. "We did that last year. But these are guys you are not, cannot, book in here every couple of months."
Mr. West estimated that he paid double the going rate for the three artists. The reason, he said, has nothing to do with the venue, but rather the date. He said there are certain nights, Independence Day being the other, when country acts simply demand a higher fee.
"That's just the economics of New Year," he said.
Scott Levine, the owner of the Playground, said the bar will stage a heavy rock evening. He said certain expectations must be met at a New Year's Eve celebration. For example, he said, the Playground is not traditionally a big champagne bar, but it brings in the fizz for one night.
"You have to have champagne," he said. "You have to have the party favors. And it's all stuff you have to plan out. We've been doing this for eight years now, so it isn't complicated, but it does have to be thought out."
Brothers Randy and Charlie Sconyers are planning their first New Year's Eve party at Coyotes since regaining control of the club they opened in 2001 and sold in 2007. They will feature a rare performance by Rhes Reeves and Steve Chappell, who haven't performed together in nearly 10 years. Randy Sconyers said they saw the Augusta favorites as the sort of bill Coyotes could present.
"And you just have to do something," he said. "Augusta is a tough market, and you need something that stands out."
To that end, the brothers include not only employees in the preparation process, but also family.
"It's a night you really have to be on your game," Charlie Sconyers said. "So we do bring in everyone to put it together. We'll have our kids down here blowing up balloons."
What the brothers do not worry about, he said, is what other establishments might offer. He said they treat the evening as a professional event in addition to a party, ensuring that everyone is treated well.
"We try to make everyone feel like a VIP," he said. "After all, it is their night."
Mr. West said that while Masters Week is traditionally a bigger deal, New Year's Eve runs a close second. The challenge, he said, is trying to predict how big it will be.
"In the end, it's really just a throw of the dice," he said with a laugh. "You never really know how big a party will be."
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.
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