Area residents gathered at the clock tower on Trade Street in Tryon Thursday night to watch the ball drop from the tower and welcome a new year. Organizers of the event claimed Tryon’s ball drop at the stroke of 10 p.m. was the first in the nation, beating the famed Times Square event by a full two hours and setting a “celebratory tone” for the rest of the nation to follow.&bsp; Upstairs Artspace, Elmo’s Pub and Lilac Wine were among the locations in the area holding New Year’s Eve gala events.