As the clock ticks down to midnight, Jefferson City businesses said they feel prepared for busy night ahead on New Year's Eve.
Restaurants, bars and liquor stores across the city said the night will cap a busy holiday season. Still, some restaurants and bars will not be open because of a rare Sunday New Year's Eve.
Lisa Willis, manager of Xpress Liquor & Smokes at 510 Ellis Blvd., said Friday people were already stocking up on champagne for tonight's celebrations.
"People are buying ahead," she said.
Willis, and others reached by the News Tribune, said overall sales feel up for the Christmas season. Willis said, for her store, Christmas Eve and several nights during the summer are busier than New Year's Eve though.
"(It's been a) very busy holiday season," Willis said. "We've probably done a little more business, and it's been straight through."
Ronnie Mehta, manager of Arena Liquor at 629 Jefferson St., said tonight will be busy, but with New Year's Eve falling on a Sunday, it's hard to predict how busy.
"Business does go up a little," Mehta said. "When it falls in the middle of the week, it will not be as busy as if it falls on a weekend."
Downtown, Spectators Bar & Grill will host Columbia rock-band Disengaged, from 9 p.m.-1 a.m., for the second straight year. Spectators will also host specials offering steak and shrimp, champagne and other drink specials. An upstairs VIP loft and billiards bar downstairs will also be in use.
Steve White, Spectators general manager and chef, said New Year's Eve will be a big night for his business, but the night before Thanksgiving remains the busiest night each year.
"The college kids come home from school, school's out," White said of the night before Thanksgiving.
This New Year's Eve will be the first one to fall on a Sunday since 2006. Across the country, that's causing chaos for some businesses that would normally do swift business on New Year's Eve.
The Indianapolis Star reported Indiana bans carry-out liquor sales from grocery and convenience stores on Sundays. Craft breweries that sell carry-out growlers will be exempt from the law, the Star said.
In Jefferson City, New Year's Eve falls under one of five days where businesses without a Sunday liquor license can sell alcohol. Jefferson City Counselor Ryan Moehlman told the News Tribune in August businesses with liquor licenses, but lacking Sunday liquor licenses, can sell alcohol on Sundays including Super Bowl Sunday, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Independence Day.
Still, some businesses normally closed on Sunday chose to remain closed for the big day. Among them, are Madisons Cafe and Paddy Malone's Irish Pub.
Madison's Cafe owner Rob Agee said last year was ideal with Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve falling on Saturdays. Still, his business is making the best of things.
"It's not ideal," Agee said.
He acknowledged he could sell liquor under his regular liquor license. Because the business always closes on Sundays though, he said it'd be hard to open, even for just one extra day because his staff uses Sundays to rest.
"To staff Sunday would be impossible," Agee said. "Everyone would be on overtime. But it only happens every seven to 15 years."
Still, to ring-in and cash-in on the New Year, Madison's Cafe planned a $42 per guest, five-course menu for Dec. 29-30 featuring a three-piece shrimp cocktail, a choice of a house or Caesar salad, lobster bisque, lemon sorbet, filet mignon, and dark chocolate gelato or vanilla cheesecake.
Agee said his restaurant makes a themed New Year's Eve dinner each year, with some years featuring surf-and-turf.
"We do something special each year," Agee said. "This is a little bit on the high end. It's always something a bit refined."
Friday afternoon Agee said he expected a pretty good turnout for the dinner with reservations for three parties of 15, and parties of six, eight and 10 guests already booked for Friday night. Saturday would be even busier he said.
Still, New Year's Eve is not the busiest day of the year for his business.
"New Year's Eve is not as big as Valentine's (Day) anymore," Agee said. "It used to be the biggest, but Valentine's has taken over."