GR New Year's Ball drop welcomes 2010

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The joint was jammin'.

A huge crowd watched the New Year's Ball drop in Rosa Parks Circle, as the Aughts passed into history and 2010 began.

Downtown Grand Rapids teemed with revelers intent on ringing in the second decade of the 21st Century, a decade most hoped would be better than the Aughts.

Roads were clogged with both traffic and pedestrians. The bars and clubs were overflowing, the Griffins played their annual New Year's Eve game in front of a large crowd. (OK, they lost 7-3 to Hamilton. But it was fun.)

Parking was at a premium. And the temperature was cold.

But that didn't stop a crowd expected to be between 30,000 - 50,000 to fill the area around Rosa Parks Circle for the second annual New Year's Ball Drop.

Once the ball dropped, though, the crowd quickly dispersed. By 1 a.m. the area was mostly empty, though the bars remained open.

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Music began at 5:30 p.m. when Priscilla Renea opened. The warmly-dressed crowd grew larger during her set, and they were in full-throttle by the time Boys Like Girls and, later, Uncle Kracker took the stage.

It's the second year this event, sponsored by Citadel Radio's Hot FM , will feature free music and a ball drop. Only this year, the organizers know more of what to expect, and they've made it bigger.

The most visible upgrade, literally, is the giant ball that will be lowered from a 250' crane at midnight. The ball has 448 halogen lights, has a diameter of 6'2", newly reinforced with steel rods and light bulbs that will burn longer.

The cost, around $65,000, was paid for by Rockford Construction and Westmaas Electric. The pieces were custom-made by Specialty Metal Fabricators.

Citadel's Matt Hanlon told 24 Hour News 8 the crowd last year was between 10,000 - 20,000, but they clearly expect a much bigger crowd for this event. Storm Team 8 forecasts evening temperatures in the 20s with a light wind.

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Some streets around Rosa Parks Circle were closed beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday through the clean up on Friday.

There was free parking in DASH lots 7-8-9 (west of the Grand River), and free shuttle buses ran between 5:30 p.m. - 2:30 a.m.

There were no free cab rides offered this year.

On the Net:

Hot New Years Eve Party 2010

Maps of parking areas downtown