Utah families ringing in 2014 at EVE

SALT LAKE CITY — Five-year-old Carter Sanderson was full of energy as he ran ahead of his parents, oblivious to the cold and eager to count down to the EVE Celebration fireworks show.

Mom and dad couldn't help but smile as Carter scouted out a good spot to watch the brief kids' fireworks show and New Year countdown, scheduled early to accommodate families with small children.

"Hey, Mom! I can walk backwards," he shouted, drawing smiles from other families on their way to see the fireworks.

Meanwhile, Carter's 1-year-old brother, Bennett, was already dozing off, snuggled against his mother's back.

"We're not sure they're going to make it to midnight, so we're going to hit the fireworks early," Heather Sanderson said. "It's been really fun because we can kind of trade off. We get to do something for the kids. We're heading to the bouncy house next at the Salt Palace, and we just came from a concert at Temple Square, and that was kind of for us."

The Sandersons came from their home in the Avenues and were attending EVE for the first time, happy to spend New Year's Eve close to home.

"I think we could see ourselves doing this again, and I think it's really affordable for what you get," said Jeff Sanderson, who took his parents' suggestion to get tickets for his family. "The only downside is we want to be at two places at once."

The annual EVE party spanned three days and filled several downtown locations, including the Clark Planetarium, Discovery Gateway, The Leonardo and Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as Temple Square and the Salt Palace.

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When Kate and Matt Johnston arrived at the Salt Palace, the first thing their kids wanted to check out was the ball room, lit with party lights and purportedly filled with 2,014 beach balls of all sizes.

Kate Johnston laughed above the booming pop music as her kids, 12-year-old Devin and 17-year-old Jessie, threw beach balls at each other and husband Matt kicked balls across the room.

"I didn't think there would be this many balls," Jessie said, while her brother announced the ball room was his favorite part of the event.

The siblings joined the crowd of kids rushing from one activity to the next at the Salt Palace, including light-up hula hoops, an assortment of bounce houses, pictures with Darth Vader at the Salt Lake Comic Con booth and a Winter EVE Powwow performance.

The Johnston family was in Utah for a ski trip when they decided to spend the day in Salt Lake City, touring the museums and the planetarium before moving to the Salt Palace.

This year could be a big one for the family, Matt Johnston said, as they consider moving to Utah.

"That's why we're here. We're out checking out the area," he said.

Newlyweds Rob and Sookie Goldsberry chose to spend their first New Year's Eve together at EVE, excited to see the fireworks display and share a midnight kiss.

"It's our first time together for New Year's," said Sookie Goldsberry, who has attended EVE once or twice before. "It looks like there are more families. There are more activities for families to be together."

Rob Goldsberry, a Salt Lake City resident, said he enjoyed just stepping back and taking everything in.

"We didn't really want to go to a bar or go to a big party like that. We just wanted to come down and see the different activities," he said.

The couple came bundled against the cold, ready to enjoy the fireworks and live music at a stage on Main Street, but they were also pleased at how many activities were available indoors.

As they rang in 2014, Rob Sanderson said the couple didn't have just one wish for the New Year.

"We've got a whole list — pages of them," he said, sharing a smile with his new wife.

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