First Night offers volunteer activities for families

Terri Dollar of Artsplosure, which organizes the major event, told me this morning that volunteers are still needed to help this week and on Friday during the event. Best of all, anybody who volunteers for 2.5 hours will get a free button into the event. Buttons are $9 in advance and $10 for kids and $12 for adults at the door. (Children 5 and under are admitted free when with a button-wearing adult).

You have to be 16 to volunteer without a parent. But Dollar tells me that entire families do sign up to volunteer so they can get in free ... and for a family of four that could be a $36 or more savings. That's dinner!

There are lots of volunteer opportunities this week as they get ready for the event and on Friday. There's no age requirement if kids are with their parents. Dollar tells me that kids 8 and up can be really great volunteers. Many times, organizers will assign families to the People's Procession, the 6 p.m. parade of people from the State Capitol down Fayetteville Street.