The Ball drop is happening live this year. Paul Iskalo, Iskalo Development, says we are really excited about that; it’s a really feel-good moment for the City of Buffalo to celebrate this great city and it’s wonderful to get people downtown and to be able to see the fireworks live; it’s a great celebration.
Why do we drop a ball on New Year’s? Paul says I think it is something that’s symbolic about ringing in the new year and it’s a great tradition that started and we carried it on. He says he purchased the building in 2004 and our team has been involved in coordinating the actual descent of the New Year’s ball every year since that time and we really enjoy it; it’s a lot of fun.
How long does it take the ball to drop? Paul says the time varies and we always do a test drop the morning of because depending on weather and wind conditions it can vary and we try to time it to match up with the ball drop in New York City so on average it takes one minute and fifteen seconds of descent from the top of the Electric Tower to its resting position. Paul says they have to coordinate the ball drop and they have a clock set to coordinate with New York City and they try to hit it within a second when midnight strikes.
You can watch the ball drop right here on Channel 7.
