By Brad Balfour
New York City’s Times Square
Midnight, January 1st
There are few things we can count on in life except for birth, death, exorbitant college loans and that the ball will drop in New York City’s Times Square every year at midnight January 1st. Though I am tempted to just rerun some old story about New Year’s Eve and the Waterford Crystal Ball, I felt I should say a little about how I spent some time in the run up to December 31st, New Year’s Eve in New York City.
Four days before NYE, the the Times Square Waterford Ball was unveiled to the press and public alike and I was there as well. I got to touch the ball and see it lit with its alternating colors and beautiful crystalline display while Landmark Signs workers installed the 192 new Waterford crystals on it. At this annual event, the ball featured the sparkling, new Crystal triangles featuring this year’s design was there to be seen many stories above at One Times Square (42nd Street and Broadway).
The three representatives behind the unveiling — Fiskars Living master artisan Brennan, Countdown Entertainment President Jeffrey Straus, Co-Producer of New Year’s Eve and Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins, the other Co-Producer — presented the new design which celebrates the “Gift of Harmony.”
Here are the facts about Waterford Crystal’s New Year’s Eve Ball and the Times Square Celebration:
It is a geodesic sphere, 12 feet in diameter, and weighs 11,875 pounds. The Ball is covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles that vary in size, and range in length from 4 3/4 inches to 5 3/4 inches per side. 192 Waterford Crystal triangles introduce the new Gift of Harmony design of small rosette cuts flowing into each other in beautiful harmony. 192 are the Gift of Serenity design of butterflies flying peacefully above a crystal meadow capturing the spirit of serenity. 192 are the Gift of Kindness design consisting of a circle of rosettes symbolizing unity with the fronds reaching out in an expression of kindness. 192 are the Gift Of Wonder design composed by a faceted starburst inspiring our sense of wonder. 192 are the Gift of Fortitude design of diamond cuts on either side of a crystal pillar to represent the inner attributes of resolve, courage and spirit necessary to triumph over adversity.
The remaining 1,728 triangles are the Gift of Imagination design with a series of intricate wedge cuts that are mirrored reflections of each other inspiring our imagination. The 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles are bolted to 672 LED modules which are attached to its aluminum frame. The Ball is illuminated by 32,256 LEDs (light emitting diodes). Each LED module contains 48 LEDs – 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white for a total of 8,064 of each color. The Ball is capable of displaying a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns that creates a spectacular kaleidoscope atop One Times Square.
For Times Square 2019, the idea of individual notes, musicians magically produce beautiful chords and music’s harmonic chords, the “Gift of Harmony” offers the idea of a refuge of accord and compatibility for the betterment of all amid a world of discontent.The new design utilizes small rosette cuts flowing into each other in beautiful harmony.
The first New Year’s Eve Ball lowering celebration atop One Times Square was in 1907. This proud tradition is now a universal symbol of the New Year. The New Year’s Eve Ball is the property of the building owners of One Times Square. The first Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration was held in 1904. Seven versions have been designed to signal the New Year. The first Ball was made of iron and wood, weighed 700 pounds, and was covered with 100 light bulbs. In 1920, a 400-pound iron Ball replaced the iron and wood Ball. In 1955, a 150-pound aluminum Ball with 180 light bulbs replaced the iron Ball. In 1995, the aluminum Ball was upgraded with aluminum skin, rhinestones, and computer controls. In 1999, the crystal New Year’s Eve Ball was created to welcome the new millennium. In 2007, modern LED technology replaced the light bulbs of the past for the 100th Anniversary of the New Year’s Eve Ball. In 2008, the permanent Big Ball was unveiled atop One Times Square where it sparkles above Times Square throughout the year.
There are pre-parties already underway — for the kids at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, so cute and maybe more fully aware as six year olds than one ever thought possible. Those smartly vacationing in places like Australia and New Zealand will be experiencing the New Year many hours before us. And for those recovering reeling from questionable election results in place like Bangladesh and The Democratic Republic of Congo, there is hope for a new year of change.
All those commentaries are flooding the media — television, streaming, radio and on the web — declaring the best and worst of 2018, who we lost and what was accomplished — or not — in the previous year. But there also all the proclamations of things to look forward to into the next year.
While there is a the broad swath to consider there are little incidents which, sadly, remind of the many things in the world still needing to be fixed. There are people such as Miriam M., a 77 year-old Orthodox Jew who came home to find swastikas scrawled on her door. Again she had to deal with the horrors of anti-semitism after surviving the Holocaust. And while the partial government shutdown continues with threats and deals on both sides of the aisle, we are reminded of how much needs daily fixing in the year to come.
But one thing is for certain that from 4 am, the barriers started going up in Midtown West and it will become easy to get trapped there. It almost happened to me once. And if you are it means hours of no bathroom breaks or available edibles. And around 6 pm the ball will get raised to the top of One Times Square. The speeches, entertainment — including
Bebe Rexha performing John Lennon’s “Imagine” — and the hats/balloons/and funky glasses will carry the million plus crowd (the billions watching globally) onto to midnight.
So I hail those either crazy or intrepid enough to experience the actual ball drop first hand. I, on the other hand am looking forward to maybe a movie, a warm apartment and the sharing of sparkling drinks of one kind or another to carry me over to Next Year.