NEW YORK — Hundreds of thousands of revelers gathered in chilly weather Thursday in Times Square to usher in the new decade as organizers prepared to drop 3,000 pounds of confetti at midnight along with the New Year’s Eve crystal ball.
Fireworks were set off about 6 p.m., and the gigantic ball was lowered into place in preparation for midnight. Many people wore party hats and blinking 2010 glasses, and some were jumping up and down to keep warm. The National Weather Service said the temperature would be in the low 30s, and snow was forecast for around midnight.
Gail Guay of Raymond, N.H., arrived with two friends to celebrate her 50th birthday. The trio carried a huge white hotel towel with “Happy New Year New Hampshire 2010” printed on it. Reflecting on the past decade, when she had buried her mother, Guay had this advice: “Don’t look back.”
Her friend Doreen O’Brien, 48, of Nashua, N.H., said the crowd seemed to be feeling positive.
“People are in a great mood; it’s very friendly. It’s like New York has slowed down,” she said.
Tennessee organizers in Memphis and Nashville were to lower a 10-foot red guitar. In Atlanta, an 800-pound fiberglass peach was set to plunge. In North Carolina, Brasstown would have its opossum drop, Mount Olive dropped a 3-foot glowing pickle, and Raleigh lowered a giant acorn. Eastport, Maine, dropped an 8-foot wooden sardine.
In Boston, more than 1,000 artists and performers were participating in the “First Night” celebrations. Artists made six ice sculptures, including a replica of a 4,000-year-old Egyptian sculpture.
And in Chicago, the city’s Transit Authority was offering rides for a penny to help residents and visitors get in place for fireworks displays planned during the evening and at midnight.
