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newlenoxpatriotdaily.com life & Arts
the new lenox patriot | January 9, 2020 | 19
Tom Kelly’s helps locals ring in early New Year
Sean Hastings, Editor
For some, making it all
the way until midnight
is a tough task — especially
when one has children
whose bedtimes
are before midnight.
Sometimes, those bedtimes
are the same for the
parents.
Tom Kelly’s Chophouse
and Pub owners Kelly and
Brett Trumpey have young
children of their own and
have dealt with the stress
of trying to find something
to do with the children
on New Year’s Eve. That
sometimes meant waiting
in long fast food lines.
Kelly’s parents, Pat and
Jerry Lavery, also own the
restaurant.
So, Kelly and Brett created
something for themselves
and others to enjoy:
a midday New Year’s Eve
party.
“We thought, ‘Why
don’t we create something
where the parents can relax,
kids can have fun, and
have a free event and open
it to the community?’”
Kelly said. “It’s awesome.
The kids have a blast, parents
can eat and have a
couple drinks if they want
to.
“We created something
that we’d want to go to.
The community has been
very receptive.”
It was the second year
that Tom Kelly’s hosted
the midday New Year’s
event and the space was
packed, almost wall-towall,
with people anxiously
waiting for the 2
p.m. balloon drop. Just 10
hours before the real drop,
balloons and confetti fell
from the restaurant’s ceilings
to cascade down on a
group of excited children
and parents.
The balloon drop was
even moved up 30 minutes
to cater to the excitement
of the anxious children and
some of the ones getting a
little bit tired, further proving
how tough it can be to
keep a child fighting it out
until after midnight.
But once the balloons
and confetti fell, confetti
was rethrown into the air
and balloons were bounced
around among the ecstatic
children.
For Nicole Stockmal
and her three children,
that was their one and only
New Year’s Eve party.
“We got here right at
noon,” she said. “The kids
love it. I grew up with Kelly,
so it was nice to know
the people here.”
As balloons bounced
around and confetti flew
through the air, Stockmal
danced around with her
children.
“The look on the kids’
faces for everything we do
[is my favorite part of the
holiday season],” she said.
“We saw the winter lights
here in New Lenox, Homer
Glen. They have fun no
matter what it is. You give
them balloons and confetti
and it’s the time of their
life.”
Stockmal also noted
how all of the area’s
events — Tom Kelly’s
New Year’s Eve included
— cater to entire families.
“The kids are having a
great time and it’s familyfriendly
for everybody,”
she said. “You don’t
have to worry about anything.”
Tom Kelly’s also does
similar celebrations for
Halloween, Christmas,
Easter and may have a
summer kick-off party in
Brady Andrews, 6, plays with his noisemaker at the Tom Kelly’s New Year’s Eve party.
Photos by Sean Hastings/22nd Century Media
2020 as well.
And for just its second
year, the New Year’s Eve
party has grown. Even
though Kelly was working,
she was still able to
enjoy it. She also is glad
that what her and her husband
created has been
well-received by the community.
“The parents can go
out at night if they want
and this way the could do
something during the day
with their kids,” Kelly
said.
And just as it is for
Stockmal, the looks on the
children’s faces is the best.
“Just to see all their faces
light up and having a blast,
it makes all the noisemakers
worth it,” Kelly said.
A group of friends dance together following Tom Kelly’s early New Year’s Eve balloon
drop.