It was a real New Year’s Eve toast Sunday night in Ottumwa.

Champagne glasses clinked, and fireworks boomed as Ottumwa area residents celebrated the start of the new year.

For Bridge View Center aficionados, the festivities were to celebrate the end of a years-long project.

Ottumwa’s Bridge View Center is up and running.

Believers and supporters of Ottumwa’s new events center kept the faith throughout the years of negotiations, fund-raisers and discussions to bring the new center to reality.

They celebrated Sunday night with bands and dancing, food and fellowship in a party atmosphere put on by South Ottumwa Savings Bank at Bridge View.

On Monday, New Year’s Day, Ottumwa Mayor Dale Uehling helped cut the ribbon to officially open the building along with Dianne Haas, president of the Bridge View Center Inc. Board of Directors.

The night of revelry and day of congratulations was only the start of several events planned to showcase Bridge View with offerings appealing to a variety of visitors.

Thursday night was not only the unveiling of a lovely Des Moines River landscape commissioned for Bridge View. Visitors could also hear the painter, Fred Easker, talk about his work.

Today is Family Day at Bridge View with magic shows and floral arrangement classes.

The popular Eagle Walk returns Saturday, Jan. 13, with educational raptor exhibitions, photo contest and a trek down Ottumwa’s new trails system.

Viva Ottumwa! that night will feature folkloric dance and a popular Latino band.

More events are planned for the start of this year including the return of the cow-calf conference to Ottumwa, the Ottumwa Area Chamber of Commerce annual banquet and the Chamber’s huge Home Expo.

Ottumwa Community Players will inaugurate the theater with three plays this year.

Bridge View is open to the public on Tuesdays. If you haven’t seen it, feel free to visit and appreciate the results of the hard work of many Ottumwa area residents who had the dream of a new civic center.