Thar She Drops

From Dec. 25-29 American Profile Magazine "Countdown to New Year by Marti Attoun.

In Manhattan, Kansas (pop. 52,281) it's a large, shimmering red 4-foot aluminum apple descends from a flagpole above Varney's bookstore.

In Allentown, Pa., a 200-pound Liberty Bell comes down.  In Mobile, Alabama, a 12-foot-tall Moon Pie does the same.


A BALL HISTORY

In 1829, British naval officer Robert Wauchope erected the first descending ball in Portsmouth, England, to allow sailors to set navigational instruments from offshore.

A "time ball" went up on the roof of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London to serve as a public time signal.  To this day it rises to the top five minutes before 1 p.m., then drops at exactly 1 p.m.

The real biggie is the one in Times Square in New York City which began in 1907.  It was originally iron and wood.  These days it is the center of the world's attention as a glittering 12-foot diameter Waterford Crystal ball descends 77 feet.

And, other cities across the country now do it.

Can't Beat Fun Dropping Things.  --RoadDog