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RICHMOND, VIRGINIA -
It was a last minute decision, but Todd Schall-Vess is thrilled he decided to pull it off. He manages the Byrd Theatre and Thursday night kept a growing tradition alive. The annual celebration in Carytown wasn't supposed to happen, but at the stroke of midnight, that wasn't the case. Schall-Vess went forward with raising the celebratory ball above the Byrd while more than one thousand revelers cheered from below.
Schall-Vess says it's being dubbed the "unofficial" Carytown Celebration since the city opted out due to a tight budget. The crowd was a far cry from the thousands that jammed the street in years past. That didn't bother Frankie Jenkins who says just seeing the ball rise again above the Byrd highlighted the night.
When city leaders chose not to participate, Schall-Vess says he heard from many disappointed Richmonders. His last minute strategy to raise the ball anyway has been met with positive calls and emails. He says many are thrilled he didn't let the tradition crumble. He tells CBS 6 "I sort of decided to fly under the radar to give the people something hopeful to end the year on. I absolutely didn't want to wake up this morning and say you know, we didn't do it this year. I didn't feel that was the proper end to 2009 or the proper beginning to 2010."
Some area businesses adjusted their schedules, staying open later once they caught wind of Schall-Vess' plans. Now owners hope to see the Carytown Merchant's Association and the city of Richmond team up in the future to turn this into Richmond's premier event.
David Johnson, the event planner at the New York Deli says "You can do a fundraiser to get the money to offset the expenses of cops and security. There are alot of things we can do if we work together as a community. We can do this."
During the celebration Richmond Police set up it's skywalk to get an aerial view of the crowd. Schall-Vess says from his vantage point there were no disturbances and revelers enjoyed themselves and never impeded traffic on Cary Street. Richmond police have not reported any arrests in that area during the celebration.
Organizers say they were pleased with the turnout and they are hoping to make this celebration bigger and better for years to come.
Schall-Vess says it's being dubbed the "unofficial" Carytown Celebration since the city opted out due to a tight budget. The crowd was a far cry from the thousands that jammed the street in years past. That didn't bother Frankie Jenkins who says just seeing the ball rise again above the Byrd highlighted the night.
When city leaders chose not to participate, Schall-Vess says he heard from many disappointed Richmonders. His last minute strategy to raise the ball anyway has been met with positive calls and emails. He says many are thrilled he didn't let the tradition crumble. He tells CBS 6 "I sort of decided to fly under the radar to give the people something hopeful to end the year on. I absolutely didn't want to wake up this morning and say you know, we didn't do it this year. I didn't feel that was the proper end to 2009 or the proper beginning to 2010."
Some area businesses adjusted their schedules, staying open later once they caught wind of Schall-Vess' plans. Now owners hope to see the Carytown Merchant's Association and the city of Richmond team up in the future to turn this into Richmond's premier event.
David Johnson, the event planner at the New York Deli says "You can do a fundraiser to get the money to offset the expenses of cops and security. There are alot of things we can do if we work together as a community. We can do this."
During the celebration Richmond Police set up it's skywalk to get an aerial view of the crowd. Schall-Vess says from his vantage point there were no disturbances and revelers enjoyed themselves and never impeded traffic on Cary Street. Richmond police have not reported any arrests in that area during the celebration.
Organizers say they were pleased with the turnout and they are hoping to make this celebration bigger and better for years to come.
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