Frozen in time: 110 brave arctic air to ring in 2018 in Tamaqua
New Year's Eve diehards showed up on Broad Street about 15 minutes before midnight on Sunday for the 20th Annual Tamaqua Ball Rise, saying the deep freeze wasn't going chill their spirits.
"Cold weather doesn't bother us," said Ed Miller, a Tamaqua native now of Mahanoy City, on hand with wife Dolores.
Another said he enjoys the brisk air.
"I'd go swimming with the ducks if I could. I prefer the cold," said Tom Wertman, Tamaqua.
Darren Amos of Pottsville was on hand to sell light-up novelties and trinkets.
"Cold air doesn't bother me, maybe because I'm a volunteer firefighter," he said.
There was plenty of bitter arctic air, with temperatures hovering around two degrees and a wind chill of minus 10.
Most of the 110 revelers waited at home and arrived just before midnight to avoid spending too much time outdoors.
The extravaganza is normally billed as the region's largest, brightest and highest welcome to the new year, although weather conditions this year took a toll.
A few attendees wandered into the community room of the ABC Tamaqua High Rise to avoid frostbite.
Others, bundled in heavy coats, scarves, ear muffs and mittens, stayed outdoors to gaze at a live television feed from New York’s Times Square projected onto the north side of the building.
"We can't use the movie screen," said technician Frank Fabrizio. "And we have the rest of the equipment stored inside a truck with a heater. We're even using a hair dryer to warm the switches."
At one minute to midnight, illuminated eagles crept their way from ground level to some 175 feet high atop Schuylkill County’s tallest building, where they triggered a bright oversized 2018 sign.
Moments after the jubilation, crowds quickly dispersed to warm houses and warm cars.
The live feed, music, and light show were coordinated by Fabrizio of Brockton. The idea was devised in 1998 as a one-time spectacle to usher in the 1999 Tamaqua Founding Bicentennial Celebration.
At that time, two dozen members of the Tamaqua Bicentennial Committee anticipated a modest crowd of 200 to 250 to line the sidewalks.
To everyone's surprise, more than 1,000 converged on the block. That turnout was the catalyst that propelled the ball rise into a yearly attraction.
The event has had its share of surprises and unusual circumstances.
In 1999, the committee hyped the show as a countdown to the new millennium and Tamaqua's step into its third century. That year, the ball went up, then down, and then continued to bounce, setting off fireworks and a light show in front of an enthralled crowd of 1,200.
There was added suspense that year, too, with many fearing a Y2K bug would blanket the region and entire country in total darkness at the stroke of midnight. But the "Y2K Curse" never materialized.
Originally, the ball drop mimicked the one in New York. But over the years, the event morphed into a Tamaqua-specific theme, such as using a blue-and-white Tamaqua school eagle mascot instead of a ball.
Each year, the event closes the 200 block of East Broad Street to traffic for a short time.
Newly elected Mayor Nathan Gerace said he was delighted to be on hand for the tradition.
"It shows the dedication of the community."
Similar celebrations planned for Shenandoah and Minersville were cancelled due to extremely harsh winter air, while another in Pottsville was held but was shortened and scaled down.
Organizers say support from the Tamaqua police department, Tamaqua ambulance, and management and residents of the ABC Tamaqua High Rise is an essential part of the evening and helps ensure a safe celebration.
