When night turns to day and the 39-hour party’s still young

The contest was borne after the Garrutos discovered they were allowed to stay open throughout New Year’s Eve and the following day.
On Friday afternoon, McDonagh had hopes of winning, even though he started three hours past the 11 a.m. starting time. At 4 p.m., McDonagh said he was on beer No. 5, although he admitted his pace was too "rough" to last all night.
"We’ll know for sure by tomorrow," McDonagh said, as to whether he could last all night.
The two-time defending champion, Tim, who declined to give his last name because he did not want to offend co-workers, sat opposite McDonagh at the other end of the bar. As he nursed a four-ounce bottle of Bud Light, he said he was "just hanging out" and that he was not competitive about the contest.
Tim chatted with his wife, Mary, nephew Devon, 3, and brother-in-law John.
"It’s a gentlemen’s sport," he remarked.
Garruto, standing next to a tray laden with orange jello shots, said the best part of the New Year’s Eve party was the 6 a.m. pajama breakfast the next day. Garruto said she lets customers sleep in the bar so they can awaken to fresh eggs and pancakes.
"It’s the only time of year I’ll let them sleep in a chair," she said. Anise flavored raki was the night’s drink at Toros, a Turkish restaurant in Clifton that hosted its second New Year’s Eve party. "You’ve got to have a belly dancer. It’s a must," said Selmuk Kucuk, who hosted a party at AKBA, a Turkish-American meeting hall in Paterson. Turkish New Year’s traditions are similar to those in the United States, said Musuf Kansay, 21, a sound engineer for the AKBA party who spent last New Year’s in Turkey. "It’s the same tradition. You count down, you have parties at clubs and restaurants." People "believe the new year is going to change everything," observed Toros owner Huseyin Bayram. But Turkish Americans, who are generally Muslim, also use New Year’s as a surrogate Christmas, said Onur Erim, founder of the Turkish American Business Center in Paterson. "You know it’s the only thing we’ve got against Christmas, and it’s a big impact on the kids. We definitely don’t want them to celebrate Christmas, but New Year’s is an excuse to give gifts." Along with unlimited quantities of the 45-proof raki, which looks like vodka but turns a cloudy gray when mixed with ice or water, Toros served traditional Turkish fare at long banquet tables decorated with confetti, streamers and party hats. Ninety people had reservations for a dinner of fried liver, cheese pie, calamari, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, kebabs, rice, baklava, finishing it off with beef tripe soup in the wee hours. The soup’s meant to be a wake-up after a night of drinking and dancing, Bayram said. The party at AKBA featured American-style food, with a buffet of chicken, pasta, mixed vegetables and salad and a mix of Turkish and American music. Singer and actress Nil Unal flew in from Turkey to sing ballads and traditional Turkish music, and three other singers mixed it up with Turkish pop and rock. Purple disco lights flashed and the wooden floor buzzed with the electronic beat of the music, but the AKBA party was a family affair. Kucuk’s son, Emrah, 12, planned to perform the song "Lose Yourself" by rapper Eminem. And the elder Kucuk said he’d encouraged single people, especially men, not to come, as he didn’t "want trouble." People could bring their own alcohol but he wasn’t serving any. Hearing of alcohol-free evenings is no doubt music to the ears of local law enforcement, who said they have beefed up patrols looking for drivers under the influence. Throughout the county, local police departments such as Clifton, Rutherford and Little Falls were adding extra officers to the midnight shift or Driving While Intoxicated roving patrols. State police, who patrol the highways added four overtime officers for the holiday season. "We’re concentrating on drunks," said one state police officer in Totowa. The county Sheriff’s Department is also targeting drunken drivers, said Bill Meyer, a spokesman for the department. Meyer said the sheriff increased patrols more than 50 percent for New Year’s Eve. DWI federal grants paid for the extra holiday time. Other cities were not so lucky. In Paterson, officials said patrols would not increase for New Year’s Eve because of the "budget situation." With or without the extra patrols, police officers anticipate a busy night, said Capt. Gary Giardina of Clifton Police Department.
"You can never tell," he said. "Sometimes we’re surprised and other years you run all night long. We anticipate being busy, and whether it is or not is a different story."