2009’s for suckers. Ring in 2010 with a slew of local events! For those last-minute planners who still haven’t decided how to celebrate the countdown to the New Year, The Wire has compiled a list of 12 riveting entertainment options.

First Night Portsmouth
Every year, Pro Portsmouth’s First Night celebration offers an array of downtown entertainments and activities on New Year’s Eve. Musicians, dancers, magicians, storytellers and others will perform in a number of venues, including the Connie Bean Center, the Great Bay Academy of Dance, North Church, South Church, Middle Street Baptist Hall and Temple Israel Hall. Meanwhile, outdoor revelers can check out the ice sculptures in Market Square and enjoy a street dance with WSCA radio until the stroke of midnight. There will also be fireworks over South Mill Pond at 7:30 p.m. A button covering admission to all First Night events is available for $13 in advance or $20 on New Year’s Eve ($1 for children under 12).For a full schedule and more information, visit www.proportsmouth.org. 

Players’ Ring: ‘The Long Christmas Eve’
A couple of theater venues in Portsmouth are hosting plays and readings in association with First Night, including The Players’ Ring on Marcy Street. The Ring will present four readings of Thornton Wilder’s “The Long Christmas Dinner,” a one-act play that spans 90 years in just 40 minutes. The story follows the Bayard family over four generations as they gather around the holiday dinner table and discuss the shifting countryside and family growth. Readings take place at 5, 6, 8 and 9 p.m.
The Players Ring is at 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, 603-436-8123, www.playersring.org.

West End Studio Theatre
‘Christmas 1910’ and ‘A New Year Story Celebration’
Another theater participating in First Night is the West End Studio Theatre on Islington Street. WEST will host two productions on New Year’s Eve, starting with Pontine Theatre’s “Christmas 1910,” an original adaptation of South Berwick author Gladys Hasty Carroll’s memoir. The story involves Carroll’s childhood memories of Christmas and shopping in Portsmouth. The 30-minute performances takes place at 5 and 6 p.m. Then the N.H. Theatre Project will present its production of “A New Year Story Celebration,” featuring skits, stories and tales for all ages, at 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. WEST is at 959 Islington St., Portsmouth. Pontine can be reached at 603-436-6660. NHTP can be reached at 603-431-6644. 

Assembly of Dust at Tupelo
One of the entertainment highlights of 2009 on the Seacoast was the recent opening of the Tupelo Music Hall at Salisbury Beach. What better way to celebrate that development than with a New Year’s Eve bash featuring a national band with local roots? Assembly of Dust will play two consecutive shows at the new Tupelo on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 30 and 31, both beginning at 8 p.m. The band features former Strangefolk front man Reid Genauer, along with former Percy Hill members Andrew Herrick on drums, Adam Terrell on guitar and John Leccese on bass. Tickets are $30. The Tupelo Music Hall is at 4 Ocean Front North, Salisbury, Mass., 603-437-5100, www.tupelohallsalisbury.com.

The Brew charity concert at The Stone Church
Amesbury-based band The Brew will welcome the next decade by rocking for a cause at The Stone Church in Newmarket. The jammy pop-rock foursome will headline a benefit show to collect donations for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
The 18-plus concert is $18, plus suggested donations, beginning at 9 p.m. at The Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket, 603-292-3546, www.thestonechurch.com.

The Gas Light Co. Masquerade
The Gas Light’s third floor nightclub in Portsmouth has become a reliable source for New Year’s Eve dance mania. The $25 cost of admission at the Masquerade with DJ Pez will include Venetian masks, noisemakers, confetti, drink specials, hors d’oeuvres, a champagne toast and a late-night buffet. The club will be adorned with Venetian decor and lighting and show a live broadcast of the ball dropping in New York City. Guests are invited to wear provocative cocktail attire. Doors open at 9 p.m. on the third floor of the Gas Light, 64 Market St., Portsmouth, 603-431-9122, www.portsmouthgaslight.com.   

The Red Door Black & White Party
Guests at The Red Door are encouraged to arrive dressed in black and white for a party with resident DJ Ryan Obermiller. The Black & White Party will feature dancing until the final seconds of 2009 and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are $20.
The Red Door is at 107 State St., Portsmouth, 603-373-6827, www.reddoorportsmouth.com. 

New Year’s Dinner at Three Chimneys Inn
The holiday will offer a number of prix fixe dining options around the Seacoast, including an Overnight Celebration at the Three Chimneys Inn in Durham. The menu features a three-course meal for $48 per person, with several options for appetizers, entrees and desserts, plus house wines and specialty beer pairings. Local singer and guitarist Dave Gerard, best known as front man of Truffle, will provide musical dinner entertainment. The inn will also offer special deals for guests wishing to stay the night, with packages starting at $220. Three Chimneys Inn is at 17 Newmarket Road, Durham, 603-868-7800, www.threechimneysinn.com.

Red Barn New Year’s Eve Ball
Outlook Farm’s Red Barn in South Berwick, Maine, will offer dinner and dancing until 1 a.m., beginning with a cocktail reception at 7:30 p.m. A buffet dinner begins at 8:30 with hors d’oeuvres, salad, entrees, a carving station, vegetables, baked potatoes and a dessert bar, plus a “Late Night Fenway Sausage Buffet.” The Fabulous Watermans will provide entertainment through the midnight hour. Tickets are $85 per person, or $75 if you fill a table for 10. The Red Barn is on Route 4 in South Berwick, 207-384-1010, www.outlookweddings.com/red-barn. 

Stage Neck Inn Dinner & Dancing
Another sumptuous dinner option is at Stage Neck Inn in York Harbor, Maine, which will be decorated with garlands, poinsettias and other festive trimmings for the occasion. The specially created menu will feature appetizers or soup, salads, entrees and desserts, plus a bottle of champagne, all for $60 per person. The Carl Reppucci Jazz Duo will set the stage for dancing, and the inn will offer overnight packages starting at $171. Stage Neck Inn is at 8 Stage Neck Road, York, Maine, 207-363-3850, www.stageneck.com. 

The Children’s Museum
New Year’s Eve Celebration
For youngsters who don’t plan to stay up until midnight, the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire will ring in the New Year a little early with a family celebration from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be noisemakers, create-your-own party hats and other activities covered by the museum’s regular cost of admission ($8 for adults and children, $7 for seniors, free for members and children under 1). There will also be three special “countdowns to midnight” at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., complete with a glittering ball drop and ginger ale toast. The museum is at 6 Washington St., Dover, 603-742-2002, www.childrens-museum.org.

Dover Bowl Party!
Another family-friendly option for New Year’s Eve activities takes place at Dover Bowl, which will stay open past midnight. From 8 p.m. to 12:15 a.m., the alley will offer a special package of bowling, shoes and 25 arcade tokens for $20 per person. There will also be dancing in the 11th Frame Bar to celebrate the New Year.Dover Bowl is at 887 Central Ave., Dover, 603-742-9632, www.doverbowl.com.