Harold Allison

To Flip The Switch At Times Square

By Steve Bigham

Harold Allison has been involved in some pretty big productions over the years — creating sets for major Broadway shows among them. But his involvement in this week’s New Year’s Eve celebration takes the cake, or should we say ball, as in the one that will drop over Times Square.

The Newtown resident has been tabbed to trigger the descent of the new 1,070-pound crystal ball, which will scale down a 77-foot pole as the clock strikes twelve. An estimated 2 million people will be watching from below, while billions more will watch the spectacle on television worldwide. The new “star of hope,” at six feet in diameter, is two feet larger than the previous ball used and nearly twice the weight.

Mr Allison is a mechanical engineer for Hudson Scenic of Yonkers, NY, the company that designed the winch to lower the ball. The company has also designed sets for Broadway’s Lion King, Tommy (where Mr Allison was involved in the construction of the giant pinball machine), Chicago, and others.

For Mr Allison, New Year’s Day will also mark his 45th birthday. It will also mark the end of what has been a string of long days and nights as he and his co-workers press to make sure all goes well. They’re dealing with a pretty big audience. The Newtown resident predicts things should go smoothly, at least in terms of a successful lowering of the ball. As for what happens down on the ground, he’s leaving that up to the police.

Mr Allison will operate the winch from high above Broadway in a room on the roof of the famous Time Square building. He’ll be queued by an atomic clock and at exactly 11:59, he will flip a switch to start the ball’s descent. Mayor Rudolph Guiliani and a handful of dignitaries will push a “ceremonial” button, but the real fate of the New Year’s Eve celebration lies in Mr Allison hands.

Mr Allison and his wife, Joan, have lived in Newtown on Farrell Road for 13 years. They have three daughters.

The giant ball will be in action beyond midnight, as it will emit a handful of light shows in the days following the event. The ball features 504 handmade, triangular pieces of crystal and some 700 lights. The crystals feature circles portraying Earth and seven-pointed stars to represent the seven continents.

Mr Allison learned his trade at the University of Maine at Oreno. However, he spent 10 years in the logging business in upstate Maine before entering his field. He and his wife were high school sweethearts.