GORHAM – Wasting no time following this year’s countdown, the chairwoman of New Year Gorham is already planning next year’s celebration.

Virginia Wilder Cross said Monday she and other organizers would meet Wednesday, Jan. 12, for both a wrap-up and a preliminary meeting for next year. Without specific attendance numbers available, Cross said, she believed this year’s fourth annual celebration was the best yet.

“All performances were well attended,” Cross said.

Although recuperating from pneumonia, Cross left a sickbed late Friday night to attend the midnight countdown and fireworks that attracted, she estimated, 500 revelers ringing in 2011. Capping the celebration, Cross joined Gorham’s own Dave Eid of Channel 13 sports and Autumn Heil, a fourth-grade student at Village School, who last year created Gorham’s unique compass that replaces a more traditional ball.

Moderate temperatures undoubtedly bolstered midnight crowd numbers. Two years ago wind chills brought temperatures well down below zero. This year, Eid, who led the countdown, said the temperature was 32 degrees as the minutes ticked away toward the magic hour.

“It’s like Aruba for me,” Eid told the gathering outside the high school.

When organizers meet next week, they’ll review this year’s slate of entertainment and begin preparations for New Year 2012.

The Gorham celebration attracted many out-of-towners. Marie Kingsbury of Sanford attended for her second time.

“It’s a good family thing,” Kingsbury said at the Poke Chop and Other White Meat concert. “So far, that’s my favorite group.”

Eric Brown of Old Orchard Beach, who has three daughters taking lessons at the Centre of Movement in Gorham, said attendance had been steady at several performances there in the evening.

The performance of Cattle Call at the Galilee Baptist Church, along with Magic of the Steelgraves in the high school performance center, were favorites for Jay Imler of Scarborough.

“Very nice,” Imler said about the magic. “A lot of good illusions.”

At the traveling zoo exhibit, Kattia Lomando of Gorham braved touching a black, 6-foot snake held by Tiffanie Meekins of the Granite State Zoo.

“It was pretty neat,” Lomando said about the experience touching the reptile, but she said her favorite animal there was the African Desert Fox.

The celebration spread to other venues in downtown Gorham, including a jam session at The Gorham Grind, the South Street coffee house.

“Good music,” said Brian Spatafora of Buxton. “My son came from Portland, nothing there.”

“Nothing going on in Buxton,” Spatafora said.