With the help of a new Community Matters grant from the Polk County Community Foundation (PCCF), the Tryon Downtown Development Association (TDDA) will host the annual Tryon Midnight New Year’s Eve ball drop Tuesday, Dec. 31 at the clock tower and St. Luke’s Plaza in downtown Tryon.

TDDA president Happy McLeod said this free event is intended to bring the entire community together to mark the close of 2013 and celebrate each person’s individual and collective hopes for the New Year 2014.

“The big thing is to really emphasize that this is the first of what the community foundation hopes to be one of many free community events that everyone can participate in,” McLeod said. “Everybody is welcome. The committee has worked diligently to create an event everyone can have fun at with their neighbors.”

PCCF and TDDA invite community members to grab their friends and family (kids too) and come out for free pizza, free cupcakes, free drinks (water, coffee and hot apple cider) and more.

TDDA even has free party favors for the crowd – free party horns, hats, tiaras and glow sticks.

A portion of North Trade Street will be blocked off from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. for the safety of everyone who comes out to ring in the New Year.

Music will begin with the Trophy Husbands playing at St. Luke’s Plaza at 6:30 p.m., with food to be served from 7 p.m. until all the pizza and cupcakes (600 of each) are gone.

The Jim Peterman Band will pick up where the Trophy Husbands leave off and rock downtown for about an hour. They’ll play again after the ball drops, so stick around.

Throughout the night there will be hula hoop contests, the limbo and more.

At 9 p.m. the town’s annual master of ceremonies Andy Millard will begin DJing with popular hits from throughout 2013. Everyone is invited to make North Trade Street their dance floor with line dances and conga lines.

At 9:45 p.m. join in a celebratory releasing of floating wish lanterns by sharing your wishes for 2014 with friends and family. This is expected to be a beautiful sight as the lanterns – more than 300 – float off into the sky.

At 10 p.m. (Tryon Midnight!) Tryon’s own Dean Trakas will drop the Tryon New Year’s ball.
Come out to see how many times the ball drops this year. This quirky tradition is such a piece of Tryon’s personality, you can’t miss it!

Then, wrap up the evening with more music from the Jim Peterman Band who will play until the crowd disperses or midnight.