For the second year in a row, The Old Main Street Merchants Association, along with the Bradenton Downtown Development Authority, hosted a big New Year's Eve celebration in downtown Bradenton.
This year’s ball drop doubled as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer fight, and all the bars on Old Main Street participated.
As the seconds counted down before midnight Saturday, a 10-foot-in-circumference pink fiberglass ball suspended 75 feet above Old Main Street from the Mary Helen began a dramatic drop. As the ball approached a large stage set up across from the alley behind the Manatee County Administration Building, a crowd of thousands counted down the seconds until 2012. But for Cork Miller, president of The Old Main Street Merchants Association, the crowd’s countdown was also a reminder that the world needs a countdown to end breast cancer. ‘Just last week, I had a friend come in and tell us she had been diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. We have to do all we can to fight this disease.’
Wayne Elsmore, of Kona Cayak and Canoe in Pinellas Park, came up with the idea and created the pink fiberglass ball.
As part of the festivities and fundraising efforts, Miller got up on the stage and requested that people make donations, and buckets were passed around the crowd for donations. He praised the crowd for the huge turnout, persuaded them to do all they could to make a difference. ‘Let’s show everyone what the people of Bradenton can do to make a difference in the fight against cancer!’
Have a Happy New Year from Sims Crane & Equipment!
