After a run of 20 years, the annual Tamaqua New Year’s Eve ball rise will not take place this year.

Organizers say a few factors played into the decision.

“Right now the high-rise is unavailable due to roofing work,” said building manager Pat Freeh-Stefanek on Tuesday.

Billed as the region’s largest and highest welcome to the new year, the event used the 17-story ABC Tamaqua Hi-Rise building to create the illusion of brightly illuminated eagles launching 175 feet into the air.

Not only is the rooftop off-limits for now, but space is limited at the base of the structure as well. The ongoing roofing replacement requires the use of cranes, equipment and supplies stationed at the parking area.

Another factor, Freeh-Stefanek said, is that the event is in need of a sponsor. In fact, it’s been lacking one for two years. Several different groups had sponsored the ball rise in the past, including the Tamaqua Bicentennial Committee and the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce. Last year, nobody stepped forward. However, the event went on anyway.

“The high-rise stepped in and sponsored it,” Freeh-Stefanek said.

The celebration includes a JumboTron television with a live feed from Times Square in New York City. In the past, it also has included a DJ and hot food.

Origin

Surprisingly, the event was intended to take place as a single gimmick, for one year only.

It was staged in 1998 and called a ball drop. The intent was to use Schuylkill County’s tallest building to proclaim the arrival of 1999, Tamaqua’s 200th birthday at the stroke of midnight. The idea was to provide a dramatic way to launch the yearlong Tamaqua Founding Bicentennial celebration.

Two dozen members of the Tamaqua Bicentennial Committee planned the extravaganza and expected a modest crowd of 200 to 250 to line the sidewalks. To everyone’s surprise, more than 1,000 converged on the block. Sidewalks could not contain the hordes of revelers that swarmed Broad Street shortly before midnight, forcing police to close Route 209 in the heart of town.

Since then, accommodations were made each year to allow for the midnight crowds.

The event has had its share of surprises and unusual circumstances.

In 1999, the committee hyped the show as a big countdown to the new millennium and Tamaqua’s step into its third century. There was added suspense that year, with many fearing the Y2K bug would blanket the region, and put the entire country in total darkness at the stroke of 12. But it never happened.

That year, the ball bounced up, then down, setting off fireworks and dazzling lights before a crowd of 1,200.

Smaller crowds

Attendance seemed to diminish as time went on. In recent years, polar winds and bitter cold kept the numbers down.

Overall, the success of the ball rise has been largely attributed to the cooperation of high-rise residents, a group that opened its arms on New Year’s Eve to host the community and region.

Some residents also opened their apartment doors to help with preparation. Brockton’s Frank Fabrizio, Tamaqua’s Tony Fannock and others required access to specific rooms within the building to install equipment.

Organizers also said support from the Tamaqua police department has been an essential part of the evening.

Freeh-Stefanek said it’s possible the event will return to welcome 2020 if a local organization is interested in sponsorship.

The high-rise offers use of its facilities free of charge and so the cost to sponsor the ball rise is only about $275, she said, funds which go toward the lighting. Freeh-Stefanek said it’s a unique opportunity for a local group to take on a highly visible project as part of community outreach.

“It would be a nice event for a civic group or even several groups who could take turns being the sponsor, maybe on a rotation basis” she said.

Interested parties can contact the ABC Tamaqua Hi-Rise at 570-668-0313.