It all starts at 9 p.m. Sunday, December 31.
This event is easy to locate. Just go to Main Street in New Carlisle and look for a giant silver ball suspended over the street by a cable from the long arm of a crane. The orb is 24 feet in circumference, and you can easily see it from more than a mile out of town. No kidding. Look for it from the airport.
The brightly illuminated 7.5-foot diameter aluminum ball will be suspended over the corner of Main and Washington Streets. This has been a part of the event since 2012. The huge sphere itself is too big to be stored in a regular garage because it won’t fit through the garage door.
Main Street or Route 235 will be closed for a few blocks about a half hour before the event begins. For those not attending the event, the detour is well marked and easy to follow.
Most of the fun will be centered around the corner of Main and Jefferson streets, where festivities will take place on a stage under the giant ball.
The weather forecast for that evening is rather optimistic from a few days out, but of course we will have to see how it looks closer to New Year’s Eve.
Regardless of the forecast, it is always wise to wear winter coats, snow boots, hats, gloves, and a scarf.
Watch for the horse-drawn carriage rides, demonstrations of ice sculpting, and contests to win cold hard cash.
“Cold Hard Cash is exactly what it sounds like,” said Marshall Gorby, a photographer for the Dayton Daily News and Springfield News-Sun who is on the festival committee. “We have money in different denominations frozen into small blocks of ice…”
Some nearby stores will be open for shopping, and food vendors will be ready to please. Hot dogs and hot chocolate will be available for purchase as well.
“We will do some dances, like the chicken dance, and of course have the countdown to midnight,” said Gorby.
Just before midnight the countdown will begin and the brightly lit ball will drop to light up the numbers 2023.
The crowd will cheer, couples will kiss, friends will hug, and everyone will go home to get warm.
It will be almost like Times Square.
Almost.
This truly is one of the most entertaining holiday events in Clark County and a fantastic way to start off the New Year.
Happy 2024!
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