[naviga:font face="Arial"]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.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]"Cold weather doesn't bother us," said Ed Miller, a Tamaqua native now of Mahanoy City, on hand with wife Dolores.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]Another said he enjoys the brisk air.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]"I'd go swimming with the ducks if I could. I prefer the cold," said Tom Wertman, Tamaqua. [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]Darren Amos of Pottsville was on hand to sell light-up novelties and trinkets.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]"Cold air doesn't bother me, maybe because I'm a volunteer firefighter," he said. [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]There was plenty of bitter arctic air, with temperatures hovering around two degrees and a wind chill of minus 10.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]Most of the 110 revelers waited at home and arrived just before midnight to avoid spending too much time outdoors. [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]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.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]A few attendees wandered into the community room of the ABC Tamaqua High Rise to avoid frostbite.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]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.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]"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." [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]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.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]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. [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]At that time, two dozen members of the Tamaqua Bicentennial Committee anticipated a modest crowd of 200 to 250 to line the sidewalks. [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]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.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]The event has had its share of surprises and unusual circumstances.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]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.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]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. [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]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."[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Arial"]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.[/naviga:font]