Butler's sixth annual Ring in the Arts! on New Year's Eve will go on Thursday, but at half the size of past events because of state budget cuts.

The celebration will welcome familiar faces and some new entertainers to Butler's streets from 6 p.m. to midnight.

According to Mayor Maggie Stock, the state funding which has supported the celebration for five years was cut by more than half this year. "We lost a lot of our support from Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts, and some of our corporate sponsors," Stock said.

"But it's quality, not quantity."

She said the event has had a budget of more than $10,000, but this year the budget is less than $5,000.

The price to attend Ring in the Arts! also has changed.

Admission buttons are $5 per person, down from $10 for adults last year. They continue to be $5 for children over age 6. Children age 6 and younger are admitted free.

There are no one-price family packages of buttons this year as there had been in the past.

Buttons are available in advance at Miller's Shoes, 215 S. Main St., and Snack-N-Pack, 353 E. Jefferson St.

On Thursday night, buttons will be available at Cornerstone Commons, 201 S. Main St., and the Art Center, 344 S. Main St.

There also will be fewer venues this year.

The Penn Theater, where cartoons were shown previously, and the Butler Little Theatre, which hosted magicians, will not have activities this New Year's Eve.

Also, no shuttle service will operate because the activities are within a few blocks of one another.

Performers will include: Mac Martin & the Dixie Travelers (bluegrass), Harold Betters Quartet (jazz), Colgate Country Music winner Sydney Hutchko, Todd Wehr and Common Ground (rock, folk), Karmacoustic featuring Washboard Tony (classic rock, blues), Brad Yoder (rock, mix), and Occasional Divas (vocal).

A pork and sauerkraut dinner and a a chili cook-off are planned.

A schedule of performances and a map of venues will be available at each location Thursday night.