Ringing in the New Year with Steel.

Many celebrate New Year’s Eve with family and friends, bidding farewell to the past year while welcoming the exciting prospects of the coming one. You might have counted down the Times Square ball drop in New York City or watched fireworks light up the sky, but did you know that steel played an important role in the New Year’s Eve festivities around the nation? In fact, some of the most famous objects that have dropped on past New Year’s Eve were made of steel.

Steel Watermelon Ball | Vincennes, Indiana

Known for its multimillion-dollar melon industry, this Indiana city rang in the New Year by raising an 18-foot, 500-pound, foam and steel watermelon, before launching locally grown watermelons.

Steel Ball, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Covered in LED lights, this six-foot, solid steel ball was raised 160 feet before it dropped in Rosa Parks Circle.

Steel Acorn, Raleigh, North Carolina

A 900-pound copper and steel acorn was lowered by crane to celebrate the city's 1992 Bicentennial and in honor of Raleigh’s title as the “City of Oaks”.

Steel Ball, Cheyenne, Wyoming

A 75-foot-tall telescopic crane dropped a 300-pound steel ball covered with 200 pounds of LED lights.

Giant Steel Crab, Easton, Maryland

The papier-mache, steel-reinforced crab looks like the area’s famed blue crabs. In fact, many towns throughout Maryland drop different objects to replicate the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square.

While these are only a handful of the most interesting steel objects that have been part of New Year’s celebrations across the nation, the meaning behind dropping objects dates back to the 1830s. “Time-balls” were first dropped to enable ship captains to set their chronometers (or timepiece). The tradition continues today at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC where a time ball drops from a flagpole at noon daily. This custom also happens each year at the popular Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration at midnight.

At Texas Iron & Metal, we want to start your new year off with great deals on steel. Visit our stockyard or call 713.672.7595 to discuss your steel or pipe needs today. Our team is standing by to help you have a successful 2020.