With just days to go before the world rings in a new year — and new decade — Tom Brennan, master artisan with Fiskars, a division of Waterford, is hard at work to make sure the famed crystal ball in Times Square is ready to dazzle revelers at the stroke of midnight on January 1.
"This is the only moment in time that everybody pauses for just a moment," Brennan told Cheddar on Friday while standing next to the pièce de résistance. "We don't do this other times of the year."
A team of engineers is installing 192 new Waterford crystal triangles on the ball that features this year's unique design, which Waterford is calling "Gift of Goodwill," the latest in its "Greatest Gifts" series.
The new crystals will make up just a fraction of the 2,688 triangles on the ball, which measures 12 feet across and weighs nearly six tons.
The New Year's tradition has been going on in Times Square, the crossroads of the world, since 1904, and the first ball drop happened in 1907.
Brennan stresses that it's not just him, or the team on the ground in New York that pulls off this global feat. "It is a global togetherness," he said. Waterford has craftsmen working on the project in its factories in Ireland, plus the engineers and marketers.
"It's amazing to think that this small city in the southeast of Ireland with just 47,000 people are here on top of the world. We're going to have 1.2 billion people watching us in just a few days' time, so no pressure."
A piano used by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury that was used to compose some of the band's greatest hits was sold for $2.2 million.
Hundreds of thousands of memorabilia are up for auction next month from the collection of Hollywood model maker Greg Jein, who died last year.
Indiana state troopers rescued a kitten that was stuck inside of a police vehicle.
Data shows this year's summer was the hottest ever, according to European Union data.
A new app to help forgetful people stay on top of communicating with family and friends.
A survey showed nearly 80% of women in opposite-sex partnerships took their husband's last name but those who are younger and who had completed a higher level of education were less likely to do so.
Jimmy Fallon has reportedly apologized to his staff after a Rolling Stones article that described a toxic work environment at 'The Tonight Show.'
YouTube comedian and writer Lilly Singh is partnering with Aavrani to work on a new hair care collection. Singh spoke with Hena Doba and provided Cheddar News with a glimpse of her new project. "I'm going to say that choices are what makes the beauty industry so amazing," Singh said.
As models hit the catwalk for Fashion Week in New York, Anthony Rubio, pet couturier and womenswear designer, has some couture designs for your dog's next walk. Rubio also discussed how he became a dog fashion designer and where he gets his inspiration.
Cheddar News checks in with a coast-to-coast forecast of the weather for Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 and the weekend.
