8 fun New Year’s events to help you ring in 2017

Let’s kick back, chill out and slip on our dancing shoes as we celebrate the dawning of a new year. Here are a few fun ways to ring in 2017.

Hop aboard Little Black Train

Celebrate New Year’s Eve the way your ancestors did — with a cozy, community-oriented concert in an old barn.

Bluegrass roots trio Little Black Train — aka Kenny Blackwell, Stuart Mason and John Weed — and their talented friends will perform acoustic Americana music as a fundraiser for the Red Barn Community Music Series.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Red Barn, 2180 Palisades Ave. in Los Osos. A potluck and jam session kicks off at 5 p.m., followed by the concert at 6 p.m.

Donations will be accepted at the door. For information, call 805-215-0306 or visit www.facebook.com/redbarnmusicseries.

Rock (and roll) the night away

With a set list that includes hit songs by The Beatles, The Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones, Unfinished Business knows how to throw a party. And its annual ’60s Rock and Roll New Year’s Eve Bash is no exception.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at the South County Regional Center, 800 W. Branch St. in Arroyo Grande, with an Italian-style dinner catered by Giuseppe’s Express in San Luis Obispo starting at 6:30 p.m. Then there’s live music and dancing from 8 p.m. to 12:15 a.m.

Admission is $80, or $750 for a table of 10. Call 805-431-3067, email unfinishedbusiness@charter.net or visit ubnye2016.brownpapertickets.com for details.

Journey to Oz

You’ll be saying “There’s no place like home” after watching “The Wizard of Oz” accompanied live by Orchestra Novo. This special screening starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo.

When a tornado transports Dorothy (Judy Garland) to the magical land of Oz, she sets off to see the wizard (Frank Morgan) in hopes of returning home to Kansas. The winner of two Oscars, including a statuette for the song “Over the Rainbow,” 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” is considered a cinematic classic.

Orchestra Novo, conducted by artistic director Michael Nowak, will bring the movie’s timeless score to life.

Tickets for “Oz with Orchestra” cost $75 to $120, and include a champagne reception. For information, call 805-756-4849 or visit orchestranovo.org or www.pacslo.org.

Get stoked

Surfer turned singer-songwriter Donavon Frankenreiter will bring a mellow vibe to his New Year’s Eve concert.

Shane Stoneman, whose creative outlets include music and surfboard shaping, opens the all-ages show at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Fremont Theatre, 1025 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo.

Also in store are a champagne toast and live painting by Morro Bay’s Forever Stoked art gallery.

General admission costs $30 to $40. Or pay $120 for a VIP meet-and-greet that includes beer, an autographed show poster and a copy of Frankenreiter’s latest album, “The Heart.”

Visit www.goodmedicinepresents.com for information.

Have a hot Havana night

Take a musical trip to Cuba at “Havana Nights at the Cigar Factory,” 9 p.m. Saturday at Novo Restaurant and Lounge, 756 Higuera St. in San Luis Obispo.

This Latin-flavored New Year’s Eve bash features live music by Afro-Caribbean dance band Zongo All-Stars, plus Cuban-inspired appetizers and cocktails. In addition, two DJs will keep the party going at two indoor dance floors.

Tickets for the 21-and-older bash are $75 apiece, and include a champagne toast. For information, call 805-543-3986 or visit www.novorestaurant.com.

Boogie down

Here’s another blast from the past.

Groove to the sounds of the 1970s and ’80s at the New Year’s Eve Dance Party, 9 p.m. Saturday at Chumash Casino Resort, 3400 East Highway in Santa Ynez. The 21-and-older shindig is free for Club Indulge card holders.

Sporting afros and bell bottoms, The Boogie Knights play disco-era hits by the likes of The Bee Gees and K.C. and the Sunshine Band. The Spazmatics, who wear skinny ties and horn-rimmed glasses, specialize in songs by Duran Duran, Devo and other New Wave favorites.

For information, call 805-686-3805 or visit www.chumashcasino.com/entertainment.

Take the plunge

Looking for a way to shake out those New Year’s Day cobwebs? Try diving into the chilly waters of the Pacific Ocean.

You can take the plunge Sunday at two free local events.

Festivities for the 36^th annual Carlin Soulé Memorial Polar Bear Dip start at 9:30 a.m. at the Cayucos Pier. The dip is at noon. See www.cayucoschamber.com/Calendar.html for details.

Avila Beach’s fifth annual Polar Bear Plunge kicks off at 11:45 a.m. on the east side of the Avila Beach Pier. For information, visit www.avilabeachpolarbearplunge.com.

This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 8:58 PM with the headline "8 fun New Year’s events to help you ring in 2017."