NEW YEAR'S EVE 2004, MANHATTAN, KS
For the first time in 11 years the Wildcats, Kansas State's football team, missed being invited to a bowl game to usher in 2005. But that was not bad news for Kate Watson, a marketing and business development specialist from Manhattan, KS.
Watson is one of the co-founders of Aggieville's Little Apple New Year's Eve Ball Drop. She and co-founder Steve Levin, one of the owners of Varney's Book Store, saw their community bulge at the seams as almost 9,000 people spilled out from the intersection of Manhattan and Broadway (a.k.a. Moro)--double the number from the premiere celebration in 2003.
During the final minutes of 2004, the crowd joined together to do the slide before a final countdown of 10 when a glittering red apple-shaped aluminum ball descended from the top of a 20-foot pole attached to the marquee of Varney's Book Store. Designed by local artist Phyllis Pease and crafted by workers at Bob's Plumbing and Thomas Sign Advertising of Manhattan, the ball that was used for the second time is covered with 3,000 reflective Plexiglas tiles that were hand cut and applied.
Manhattan Festivals, Inc., which includes a 5-member governing board and a group of volunteers, is the not-for-profit organization formed to produce and find private money to support events such as this one.
"Although the city, police and fire departments, of course, collaborate with us and are invaluable," Watson says that she credits "the professionals and craftpersons, sponsors and their employees, who volunteer their time and money in order to make the event such a success".
The business climate benefited in return. A Wings and Wheels Deal publicized on the Internet that offered a car discount, party bags and a $99 round-trip air shuttle between Kansas City and Manhattan caused the flights out of Manhattan on January 2 and 3 to be sold out as well as bookings at three area hotels that otherwise wouldn't have been full.
Joplin laser businessman adds to the event
Besides the ball, Walt Meador, owner of Laser Rentals, Inc. of Joplin, made a return engagement. With his high-power laser equipment perched atop the roof of Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar on Moro St., Meador and his staff synchronized the countdown through the use of a big screen computer and a program using Syncrolites that lent a more theatrical quality to the event. And when the words, "Happy New Year" came up, the fireworks were timed to begin and over 50 pounds of confetti to fall.
"Nobody was on the street at 9:30 p.m.," Meador noted, "but it was jam packed by 11:30." "It was amazing."
Meador, who calls himself "one of the old guys from the 70s," has done work for Home Depot and Best Buy in Joplin, but most often he puts mileage between his home base and his productions. He calls himself a "local boy," but the former Joplin High School graduate says he knows more about Houston and Los Angeles than where he grew up.
His list of accomplishments include providing lasers for the opening of the Mall of America, the 400th anniversary of Monterrey, Mexico, the 20th anniversary of NASA Apollo II and entertainment venues such as Pink Floyd, Wayne Newton and the Star Trek TV series. But he says he is most proud of entertaining the poor people in the barrios of Mexico.
Event receives national attention
Organizers were very excited when they discovered that their local event, whose official slogan is "New York, Eat Your Heart Out," received national media attention including on air mention by one of the hosts of the Big Apple's celebration--a Times Square institution since 1904 when Adolph Ochs owner of the New York Times threw a party to christen his Times Tower.
The Manhattan, KS celebration was also significant. In kicking off Riley County's 150th anniversary year, emcee Dave Lewis, host of news/talk radio 1350 AM, congratulated the crowd for being a part of history. Go Back | 
