City finalizing plans for New Year's Eve bash

McALLEN - There are a few surprises planned for the New Year's Eve bash, but the party planners aren't letting them out just yet.

Organizers of the New Year's Eve Bash, a 17th Street party with outdoor vendors, live bands and a midnight ball drop, are finishing preparations for the downtown celebration, a first for McAllen.

Nine bands are set for two stages Wednesday from 7 p.m. to midnight, said Joe Rodriguez, the director of Heart of the City, a non-profit group aimed at revitalizing downtown McAllen. The food vendors are lined up, but organizers are still working on the beer gardens.

And the ball - a six-foot sphere of steel, wire and bolts that will drop from a 90-foot crane when the clock strikes midnight - is ready to go.

About five city employees at traffic operations, which handles signals, signs and other road projects for McAllen, have been working since after Thanksgiving to forge the ball.

The ball is made of welded steel with the McAllen logo, a string of 200-plus lights and a few secrets to boot.

``We're hoping to give a couple of surprises when it drops,'' said Adrian Olguin, a traffic operations supervisor. ``We're keeping them quiet.''

While Heart of the City finalizes preparations for the official party, residents are busy making their own plans.
Customers at Party Universe have been steadily purchasing New Year's Eve party supplies, including balloons, top hats and noisemakers, said Diane Hernandez, the store's assistant manager. Along with Halloween, New Year's Eve is typically one of the busiest times for the store as people plan at-home celebrations.

But as store employees tied together four large silver balloons to make a floating 2009 display, Hernandez explained she has also had plenty of orders from downtown businesses and clubs looking for balloons or party favors for the bash.

Inside the store, Josh Morales, 27, and Yvonne Jackson, 27, both McAllen residents, shopped for party poppers and 2009 hats to make the party festive at Moods Lounge.

Morales, a web designer, was planning the late-night party at the lounge, 200 S. Broadway, but he planned to briefly make it over to 17th Street to watch the ball drop.

``They've been trying to revitalize that area for a while now, and this will be a chance for them to bring it to the masses,'' Morales said. ``We have high hopes for it.''

Rodriguez, whose organization took on planning for the bash at the request of McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez, said he wants the city's first New Year's Eve celebration to ``bring awareness that McAllen is a destination place.''

At Heart of the City's 17th Street office Friday, when most other city and county offices were closed for Christmas, workers tied up a few loose ends for the bash.
It was the last bit of work until crews start closing streets and setting up stages early Wednesday morning.

``We don't know what to expect,'' Rodriguez said of the crowd, ``but I do know there's a big buzz about (the bash).''

Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government and general assignments for The Monitor. He caan be reached at (956) 683-4424.