MARIETTA - Billy Joe Royal, the 1960s crooner known for such hits as "Down in the Boondocks," will perform New Year's Eve at the Strand Theatre.

A Valdosta native who grew up in Cobb, Royal worked for the Strand as a boy, placing the letters of movie titles upon its marquee. He has also helped the Strand in its fundraising efforts and performed there last year.

"He is probably as easy going a guy as you're ever going to meet," said Earl Reece, executive director of the Strand, who expects the audience to be filled with people who went to school with Royal at Marietta High years ago. "To be honest, the whole event is kind of like a homecoming/reunion. We're really excited about it."

Opening for Royal at 8:30 p.m. is a band made up of local doctors and WellStar medical staff who call themselves the PARADOCS and are said to be as talented with their instruments as they are with their scalpels. The PARADOCS have also been involved in fundraising for the Strand, raising $25,000.

"People love them," Reece said.

The Strand's rooftop terrace bar will be open to everyone who wants to have an official New Year's toast with friends before or after the concert.

For ticket information, call 770-293-0080.

There are no changes to when Marietta bars and restaurants have to stop serving alcohol on New Year's Eve. Marietta bars must stop serving by 3 a.m., Police Chief Dan Flynn said.

Here is a list of other local events happening on New Year's Eve.

* Theatre in the Square will show two plays beginning at 2:30 p.m. "Sanders Family Christmas" is about the beginning of WWII and its effects on a gospel singing clan, while "A Tuna Christmas" is about the holidays in a small Texas town. For ticket information, call 770-422-8369.

* Lights of Life University's final night will be from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., where more than 2 million lights adorn the 2.7-mile drive through the wooded campus on Barclay Circle.

* Radio Disney AM 590 will host Noon Year's Eve from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Smyrna Community Center, with a dance party for kids, games and contests. For information, call 770-434-6600.

* A seven-piece funk band, the Fiasco, will perform at the old Three Bears Cafe on Marietta Square. There will be a free champagne toast. Doors open at 8 p.m.

* Academy Ballroom Cumberland, located on Cobb Parkway by Cumberland Mall, is holding a New Year's Eve party beginning at 9 p.m. For information, call (770) 272-1331.

* Embassy Suites on Chastain Road in Kennesaw is offering a New Year's Eve package including drink tickets, a live jazz band and disc jockey, a champagne toast at midnight and food stations with hors d'oeuvres from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. For information, call (770) 420-2505.