Everybody is ready to face the new year, and that includes the people in charge of making the gigantic Waterford crystal ball that will accompany spectators and partygoers in counting down to the last seconds of 2014 and into 2015.
Days before the biggest and grandest New Year celebration in New York, the 11,000-pound behemoth ball, which originally measured up to 5 feet in diameter in the first ever run of the event more than a century ago, is almost ready to be put up. It will be overlooking Time Square soon from a height of 470 feet.
"It's the largest crystal ball in the world — 12 feet in diameter — it's amazing; millions of colors, it's a kaleidoscope," Countdown Entertainment President Jeffrey Straus said, as quoted by CBS Local.
This year, the people in charge of pushing the button to start the ball rolling (literally) are from the humanitarian group International Rescue Committee or IRC.
"Because New York is a city of refugees and in fact, America is a land of refugees," Straus said.
One of them will be a Nepalese teen refugee named Sonam Lama. The 16 year-old Queens high-school student, who came to New York in 2012, will be joining two more local refugees in activating the 60-second countdown to the New Year.
"It's such a huge honor to be pushing that button," Lama shared via NY Post. "It's something I never would have imagined."
Alek Wek and Nykhor Paul will be taking part, as well as Cuban-American actor Jencarlos Canela, who will be the first Latino to push the button.
IRC President David Miliband revealed that 2015 will be about "A Gift of Fortitude."
"Over 15 million people around the world who International Rescue Committee has served over the last year. For those people 2015 cannot come fast enough," Millband said, as quoted by CBS Local.
Time Square's festive lights will be on along with the partakers' party mode by 6 p.m. on Wednesday's New Year's Eve Countdown festivity.
Check out the Times Square NYC Facebook page to see updates on the New Year's ball.
The ball drop will be available to watch live online via an app for iPhones and Android devices. The app lets users interact with the Times Square Ball on Twitter, watch live streaming of the Times Square New Year's Celebration, and customize the countdown clock to individual time zones.
The app description reads: "Join millions of revelers around the world to celebrate New Year's Eve LIVE. The Official Times Square Ball App is your exclusive access to be part of the activities in Times Square as you watch the LIVE co-hosted official show featuring opening ceremonies, musical performances, celebrity appearances, hourly countdowns and the midnight Ball Drop!"
A live webcast can also be seen here. The live webcast will start at 6 p.m and will feature an exclusive clip from the upcoming Amazing Spiderman movie.
