Saying Good-bye to the Old. . .

. . .Ringing in the New

Growing up I remember waiting up until midnight when the Times Square Ball was dropped to ring in the New Year. Unfortunately, I have not shared with my children that same enthusiasm. But for me the memory still lingers. So this year I have decided to share with my children the excitment and awe of this magical night.

Let me share with you a little history of the famous Times-Square-Ball.

The actual notion of a ball "dropping" to signal the passage of time dates back long before New Year's Eve was ever celebrated in Times Square. The first "time-ball" was installed atop England's Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833. This ball would drop at one o'clock every afternoon, allowing the captains of nearby ships to precisely set their chronometers (a vital navigational instrument).
Around 150 public time-balls are believed to have been installed around the world after the success at Greenwich, though few survive and still work. The tradition is carried on today in places like the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, where a time-ball descends from a flagpole at noon each day - and of course, once a year in Times Square, where it marks the stroke of midnight not for a few ships' captains, but for over one billion people watching worldwide

The Ball has been lowered every year since 1907, . . .In 1920, a 400 pound ball made entirely of wrought iron replaced the original. In 1955, the iron ball was replaced with an aluminum ball weighing a mere 200 pounds. This aluminum Ball remained unchanged until the 1980s, when red light bulbs and the addition of a green stem converted the Ball into an apple for the "I Love New York" marketing campaign from 1981 until 1988. After seven years, the traditional glowing white Ball with white light bulbs and without the green stem returned to brightly light the sky above Times Square. In 1995, the Ball was upgraded with aluminum skin, rhinestones, strobes, and computer controls, but the aluminum ball was lowered for the last time in 1998.

For the 2000-2007 New Year's Eve celebration, "Hope for Peace" made its first descent during the last minute of the 20th century, at the Times Square 2000 Celebration with significance of Hope refering to

Hope for Fellowship,

Hope for Wisdom,

Hope for Unity,

Hope for Courage,

Hope for Healing,

Hope for Abundance,

and Star of Hope.

2009

"Let There be Joy" reflects our belief that New Year's Eve is a time when happiness and optimism for the future should be at the forefront of everyone's thoughts.

"Let There be Joy"
what an inspiring theme. As I share with my children some of my childhood days, may they find this night as magical as I once did.
(visit Times Square Alliance for more information on this article)