A reader, taking note of odd ways New Year is celebrated around the country, has asked me for my opinion. We all know about New York, but how about these celebrations that were highlighted in a recent Writers Almanac she sent along with her query: "Atlanta, Georgia, drops a giant peach. Eastport, Maine, drops a sardine. Ocean City, Maryland, drops a beach ball, and Mobile, Alabama, drops a 600-pound electric Moon Pie. In Tempe, Arizona, a giant tortilla chip descends into a massive bowl of salsa. Brasstown, North Carolina, drops a Plexiglas pyramid containing a live possum; and Key West, Florida, drops an enormous ruby slipper with a drag queen inside it.""I'm thinking YSO could think of something more emblematic of our fair village than a simple ball," she wrote in a an email yesterday. "See what you think." Of course she means what do you readers think. One day was too short a period of time to ponder and implement anything special. But we have plenty of time to think about next year's celebration. If we can narrow it down, we can conduct a poll.
Meanwhile, Happy New Year to all, thanks for your support and a reminder to keep your news and announcements coming.
-vh
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3 comments:
New Year's Eve has always been a conundrum for the Chamber in regards to how and even whether to capitalize on the hundreds of folks who gather for the ball drop but leave downtown nearly abandoned before and after. Understandably most businesses are closed for a much needed break after a hectic holiday season but for restaurants, it may be one of their best nights.
In addition to ideas for a more symbolic YS "ball" (a giant spring bouncing up and down seems appropriate), I'd love to hear feedback on whether this is an evening that might support a more organized event downtown for locals and visitors. Volunteers to help with planning such an event would be appreciated also.
How about a light bulb being lowered into a toilet, to symbolize how we are full of bright ideas that rarely go anywhere? Or maybe a fiddler being lowered into a fire...
I would love to see us capitalize on a New Year's Eve event. As KW suggested, it may be an event the restaurants could support.
Also, we should have a contest to build a giant peace symbol and have a new winner every year -- ideas would include a giant dove, heart, the circle symbol, a hand with the peace sign, etc.
Or, an inverted Burning Man event...instead of burning a man in the desert, we would construct a symbol of peace in the winter to demonstrate our hope for the future.
What do you think?
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