Between 500 and 600 revelers ignored 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 in New York City."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 bricks at the front wall of the side of the ABC Tamaqua High Rise building, 222 E. Broad St., to air the simulcast.The Tamaqua New Year's Eve event is synchronized with the Times Square celebration, with local festivities capped by lighted eagles that fly some 170 feet to the top of the building in tandem with New York's crystal ball.The crowd was sparse early in the evening with few people on hand even at 11:30 p.m. Most waited until the final minutes to arrive.By 11:50 p.m., East Broad Street was filled with excited celebrants awaiting the big moment.Route 209 was closed to traffic due to the expected crowd and local police kept a watchful eye on activities,The ball rise is sponsored by the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce and is an 18-year tradition.