A few hundred people, most of them appearing happily sober, populated the sidewalks of Carytown early last night waiting for the big lighted ball to be hoisted above the Byrd Theatre.
As many as 20,000 people were expected for Carytown's third New Year's Eve party, but the crowd appeared well below that with four hours to go. Some 4,000 attended the first event and last year's crowd was estimated at 14,000.
Gusty winds and temperatures well below freezing had many in attendance hooded, scarfed and otherwise bundled up waiting for 2008 to slip away and 2009 to rush in.
Perhaps a hundred people crowded around a band performing at Beaumont Avenue and Cary Street about 8 p.m.
Because of some broken windows, thefts and a minor scuffle last year, the number of police was doubled for this year's event. Workers in bright yellow "RMC Event Staff" jackets and waist-high metal barricades kept an emergency lane open up the middle of Cary Street.
A large number of officers were on hand -- on horses and motorcycles and in cars, vans and SUVs -- some of them obvious, while others stayed discreetly out of sight in parking lots off alleys. Most wore wool caps and heavy winter clothing.
Many in the crowd were young adults, but there were also families with children. There were heated, enclosed tents for some apparent VIP parties. Impromptu street musicians performed and vendors were selling flowers, incense and other goods.
This year's event, like the first two, centers on the raising of a big, well-lighted ball at the Byrd Theatre. Unlike the first two years, there was a $2 per-person charge this year to cover the cost of security.
Contact Frank Green at (804) 649-6340 or fgreen@timesdispatch.com.
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