As legendary multi-academy award-winning costume designer Edith Head said, “You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it.”

And this is just what the organizers of the Gates Four Groovy New Year’s Eve Party are hoping.

Afros, polyester, bell-bottoms, platforms and lamé, nothing is off the table.

“People will be able to dress up and put all of the stresses of 2021 behind them,” explained Bill Bowman, Up & Coming Weekly publisher.

Gates Four Groovy New Year’s Eve Party is the first event of this kind that the Fayetteville Dinner Theatre and the Gates Four Golf and Country Club have collaborated on, but not their first collaboration overall.
This summer, the two organizations teamed up for the Summer Concert Series. Earlier in the year, Gates Four hosted two Fayetteville Dinner Theatre productions, "A Sinister Cabaret" and "Beyond Broadway."

“The relationship over the last couple years is the Fayetteville Dinner Theater has partnered with Gates Four to bring more of entertainment art and culture aspect to that community,” Bowman explained.

The Fabulous 70s Groovy New Year’s Eve Party will break the mold for both of these organizations, and the event has been carefully crafted over the past year.

Headliners for the event, Rivermist, were booked a year in advance to ensure they would perform at the event.

Rivermist, a Fayetteville native group, has been performing together since the summer of 2015. They have won the Up & Coming Weekly’s Best Local Band for five years in a row and were the Fayetteville Observer’s Best Local Band Reader’s Choice in 2016. Most recently, Rivermist opened for Rick Springfield on Oct. 2.

Drummer and backup vocalist Greg Adair is already planning his costume.

“My favorite '70s costume piece is probably the bell-bottoms, and the vest [they] are pretty cool. My hair is pretty long; I am going to poof it out and wear an afro and a peace pendant and maybe some kind of headband,” Adair said.

The plan is to keep their music tuned to those '70s sounds. When asked what Rivermist will play for the event, Adair listed the Eagles, Earth Wind and Fire, Styx, and more. Adair says the band is all about a good time, and they will be bringing that vibe to the event.

“We are a party band; we have fun; we are full-time players, most of us are, and we are all about having fun,” Adair said.

The Gates Four Golf and Country Club Head Chef Patrick Riley is planning quite the spread in anticipation of the event. Guests will be able to choose from a manned prime rib carving station; a buffet touting smoked duck and hoisin purses, mini cordon bleu, hibachi beef, stuffed mushrooms and more. A wide selection of seafood will also be available with choices that range from shrimp cocktails to mini crab cakes.

D.J. Scott James will be playing tunes and stand as the event’s MC. He will be officiating costume and dance contests—another reason to break out the bell-bottoms and platforms.

The event will be held in the Gates Four Country Club Ballroom on Dec. 31 and will begin at 7 p.m.
There is no end time set, so be prepared to disco dance your way into the early hours of 2022.

Uniquely, this event will be open to the public, not just the residents and club members. The event is sponsored by Up & Coming Weekly, The River- 106.5 FM WMRV, Carolina Country radio 100.1 FM WFAY and Healy’s Wholesale.

Anyone interested in attending the event can purchase tickets at FayettevilleDinnerTheatre.com or call 910-484-6200.