A New Ball Will Drop for 2000
With six months to go, the scramble to stage the most spectacular century-ending celebration continues, as New York City’s Times Square, home of the 500-pound rhinestone-covered ball that descends as midnight approaches on New Year’s Eve, trades in the old model for a new one.
Obviously, a new century deserves a new ball.
The new sphere will be 6 feet in diameter and covered with an original Waterford crystal design composed of more than 500 crystal triangles surrounding a central circle. The circle is meant to be a symbol of the Earth. A seven-point star around it represents the seven continents.
It’s anyone’s guess what will be on the minds of the expected 500,000 people gathered in Times Square and the more than 1 billion who will watch the ball drop on television Dec. 31. The ball’s designers say it symbolizes the diversity of humanity and the global focus of New Year’s Eve in Times Square.
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