DROPPING THE BALL!

  FRIDAY, JANUARY 3RD., 2020
        DROPPING THE BALL!

   My good friend and former colleague
Andy Palumbo of WNEP planted the
seed for today's blog.
   On Tuesday millions of people
watched the ball drop at Times Square
in New York City as the final minute
of 2019 ticked away.
    At the same time the city of Wilkes-
Barre was dropping a model diamond
to welcome the new year in "the Diamond
City."
    Sunbury dropped a giant "light bulb"
to celebrate the arrival of 2020 in the
city where Thomas Edison's 3 wire
electric system was first used to light up
what is now know as the Hotel Edison.
     And in the city of Shamokin, at the
western edge of the anthracite coal fields,
they dropped a lump of coal then hosted
a huge fireworks demonstration!
      In a sense though, Scranton outdid
them all. It really dropped the ball!
The city did nothing!
       Up until a couple years ago Pennsylvania's
only 2nd class city greeted the new year with
an event called "First Night."
       Revelers bought a badge that admitted
them to any one of a number of entertainment
venues throughout the city as part of a
celebration which, like Shamokin, ended in
a giant fireworks display.
        It was a big show but also a big job
to put it all together. For whatever reason,
it didn't work.
        What seems unreasonable, at least to
me, is having no celebration at all!
         What would the folks at "The Office"
think?  How could they accept "Ain't no
party like a Scranton party cause a Scranton
party......won't happen!"
           Hope the powers that be use all of
this Leap year to plan a big welcome for
2021 in the "Electric City" and that all your
NEWS is good!