End of year parties

The town will be hopping New Year’s Eve with parties at local restaurants and bars.

Frankie D’s on 200 North is using the night of celebration to help out long-time local Joyce Jones.

“She was one of the original bartenders here, when it was The Outlaw at the time,” said Frankie D’s manager Patrick Flanigan. “She’s been part of the local community for a really long time.”

Jones has terminal lung cancer and wants to see her daughter and grandson in Florida.

“She’s been trying to get back to see them for years,” Flanigan said.

The staff at Frankie D’s are pulling together to make a spaghetti dinner with garlic bread to serve between 6 and 8 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 31.

“Frankie D’s will provide all the food; all proceeds will go to Joyce,” Flanigan said.

Entertainment will follow at 9 p.m. with Steelbender 191, who will be playing original hard rock. The band is made up of locals Shane Renn, Steve Corn and Ken Heili.

“There will be music, dancing, New Year’s Eve toasts,” Flanigan said.

Suzie Taylor said that she’ll be cooking a prime rib dinner for New Year’s Eve at the Branding Iron.

For those who don’t like prime rib, she’ll have babyback ribs.

“All of us at the Branding Iron want to wish everyone a Happy New Year,” Taylor said.

Taylor owned the Branding Iron between 1993 and 2003. She returned to run the restaurant again in September 2012. She and her staff have been pleased with the local support.

“We’ve appreciated everyone who has helped us through this last year,” she said.

The Rio Sports Bar and Grill will have DJ karaoke on New Year’s Eve.

There’s no cover charge for the night, said owner Alan Fogg.

“It’ll be a nice party,” Fogg said. “We’ll have champagne toasts at midnight.”

He also said the doors open at 11 a.m. on New Year’s Day.

“There will be lots of football,” he said.

State park ranger Crystal Carpenter said that there will be a special hike at Dead Horse Point State Park on New Year’s Day.

Dogs are invited.

Most people don’t know, but dogs are welcome at the state park, she said.

“They’re allowed on all of our hiking trails,” Carpenter said. “They just need to be on a leash and under the owner’s control.”

Since it is a dog-friendly park, and park staff know a lot of people in Moab who have dogs, they chose to make the first hike of the year one for the dogs, too, Carpenter said.

The organization America State Parks has been encouraging “first day hikes” across the nation. Dead Horse Point State Park has been participating in the first day hikes for three years now. The first was a birding hike.

Hikers should meet rangers at the visitors center at 11 a.m. for the 2.5-mile round-trip hike to Big Horn Overlook.

“Make sure you have a leash,” Carpenter said. “Bring some bags to clean up waste.”

She also encourages owners to know their dogs, and know if their dog will be okay with strangers and dogs they may be familiar with.

“Come have fun,” she said. “And bring your dog.”

Author: Kristin Millis

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