West Newsmagazine 12-14-16

30 I EUREKA HAPPENINGS I
WE ARE
EXPANDING!
December 14, 2016
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
@WESTNEWSMAG
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
Eureka welcomes the new year
with family-friendly celebration
Painting classes coming soon!
Swan Creek Candles are on their way!
Mary & Lisa • (636) 549-9222
120 N Central Ave • Eureka, MO 63025
Inspired@GracefullyAgedAntiquesAndMore.com
@GracefullyAgedAntiques
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By GLENNA ALLEN
Not every New Year’s Eve involves
midnight carousing. This year, those
celebrating with kids can ring in the
year with festivities that emphasize fun
and family at The Timbers in Eureka, 1
Coffey Park Lane.
Revelers of all ages will enjoy this
folksy New Year’s Eve party that takes
place from 5-8 p.m. on Dec. 31. Its spirited,
kid-friendly activities are the perfect
antidote to hectic holidays, allowing kids
to be kids and giving
parents a chance to
relax and enjoy.
Admission is just $2
for members of The
Timbers, $3 for Eureka
residents and $4 for
non-residents.
All sorts of games
will be on hand, including
action-packed
inflatables and games
of skill.
“We are really looking
forward to doing
this celebration up
big and having a great
time,” said Jordan Breeden, Eureka’s
recreation coordinator. “Last year’s New
Year’s Eve activities were canceled due to
the flooding of our town and that was a real
disappointment, so this year we are working
hard to make the night extra special
and fun for the whole family.”
Party-goers should arrive with an appetite,
as there will be a variety of holiday
treats, certain to please even the most discriminating
palates.
“Nothing is more important than family
time together,” Breeden exclaimed. “This
is an affordable way to have fun and ring in
the new year in a memorable way. We hope
everyone will come out and join us.”
Eureka’s celebration of the arrival of a
new year is in keeping with a long-standing
tradition that dates back nearly 4,000
years to ancient Babylonian times. In more
recent history, the ball-dropping in Times
Square is perhaps the most iconic New
Year’s Eve celebration. After attending the
party at The Timbers, tune in to the New
York City celebration and consider these
fun facts while counting down to 2017.
• The first Times Square ball was crafted
by an immigrant metal worker named
Jacob Starr and dropped in 1907. It was
made of iron and wood, adorned with 100
25-watt light bulbs, measured 5 feet in
diameter and weighed 700 pounds.
• The ball has been lowered every year
since 1907, with the exceptions of 1942
and 1943, when the ceremony was suspended
due to the wartime “dim-out” of
lights in New York City.
• In 1920, a 400-pound ball made entirely
of wrought iron replaced the original.
• In 1955, the iron ball was replaced with
an aluminum ball weighing a mere 150
pounds.
• From 1981-1988, red light bulbs and
a green stem converted the aluminum ball
into an apple for the “I Love New York”
marketing campaign.
• The traditional glowing white ball
returned to brightly light the sky above
Times Square in 1989.
• In 1995, the ball was upgraded with
an aluminum skin, rhinestones and strobes,
and outfitted with computer controls; it
was lowered for the last time in 1998.
• For Times Square 2000, the millennium
celebration at the Crossroads of the World,
the New Year’s Eve ball was completely
redesigned by Waterford Crystal and Philips
Lighting to combine the latest in lighting
technology with the most traditional
of materials, symbolic of the past and the
future at the beginning of a new millennium.
• In 2007, for the 100th anniversary of the
Times Square Ball Drop, Waterford Crystal
and Philips Lighting crafted a spectacular
new LED crystal ball.
• The beauty and energy efficiency of
the Centennial Ball inspired the building
owners of One Times Square to build a
permanent big ball, weighing nearly six
tons and measuring 12 feet in diameter.
The 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles are
illuminated by 32,256 Philips Luxeon
LEDs. This ball is now a year-round
attraction sparkling above Times Square
in full public view January through
December.
[Times Square ball facts courtesy of
Countdown Entertainment, LLC]