Between 500 and 600 revelers braved a biting cold wind late Thursday to usher in the new year at the stroke of midnight in downtown Tamaqua.

The Annual Tamaqua Ball Rise event to welcome 2016 went off without a hitch, although weather conditions forced a last-minute alteration to the televised simulcast from Times Square.

"We couldn't use the cloth for the jumbotron screen because of the strong wind," said Frank Fabrizio, one of the coordinators. Instead, Fabrizio used a projector aimed at the side of the ABC Tamaqua High Rise building to air the simulcast from New York City.

The Tamaqua New Year's Eve event is synchronized with the Times Square celebration, with local festivities capped by lighted eagles that fly some 175 feet to the top of the building in tandem with New York's crystal ball.

The ball rise is sponsored by the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce and is an 18-year tradition.