By Sarah hall
shall@salisburypost.com
As 2008 was fading into history, Salisburians crowded around the base of the Bell Tower where ringing out the old and ringing in the new is a long-standing and beloved tradition.
Salisbury’s historic Bell Tower has been watching the years come and go for 116 years. Originally attached to the old First Presbyterian Church, its bells pealed as part of New Year’s Eve services.
When the church was demolished and the congregation moved a block away, the tower was left behind, a solitary monument and now a symbol of Salisbury. It stands silent most of the time, but every New Year’s Eve since 1975, it has resonated with promise for the coming year.
Mother Nature teased us for days with unusually balmy December weather, then decided to send a sudden arctic blast to announce 2009. The winter wind wrapped its icy tentacles around holiday revelers who braved the cold, determined to uphold tradition.
Some towns have “polar bear clubs.” Salisbury has its own version, albeit more fully clothed ó those hardy souls who show up year after year to stand outside, at the corner of South Jackson and West Innes streets, teeth chattering, but armed with hot chocolate and a warm smiles.
In addition to tradition, there’s also food, sparkling cider, music and prize drawings for “Downtown Dollars” to lure people to the party, not to mention the drawing of a name of the person who gets the honor of ringing the bell at midnight.
Buckets of noisemaker horns were there for the taking, and some eager recipients couldn’t wait until midnight to start tooting.
If Don Berg’s fingers were frozen, it wasn’t apparent as he helped warm up the crowd with his guitar playing and singing. His first selection defied the temperature ó the decidedly Jamaican-sounding “On and On” by Stephen Bishop.
Asked what it’s like playing guitar when the temperature is in the 20s, he had a one-word answer: “Numb.”
Then he added, “A lot of the fancy stuff will fall by the wayside.”
The crowd enjoyed his performance, although you could barely hear the applause from hand-muffled by gloves and mittens.
Dr. Karl Hales served as emcee, providing a brief history of the site and event between songs and announcing names of the prize winners.
Bea and Lester Hall said they come to the New Year’s Eve event those years when they aren’t square dancing. The same goes for another square-dancing couple, James and Norma Burgess, who came with them.
Carla Linker, of Woodleaf, was there for the first time. She was resigned to the frigid temperature.
“If it was warm, it wouldn’t be New Year!” she exclaimed.
But Linker’s daughter begged to differ, asking if she could go back to wait in the car.
For some, the party had started before they got there. Richard and Shirley Raymond and Steve and Renee Kluttz stood out in the crowd with their big 2009 eyeglasses and glittery hats. This was only their second year of attending the bell tower event, but for 25 years, the two couples have been celebrating the holidays together, switching back and forth between hosting Christmas and New Year’s.
The best-dressed dog was a lovely labrador, Roxie, wearing her red faux leather coat. She was oblivious to the cold, but she didn’t like the horns. She brought along twins Victoria and Amanda Pruett, their mom, Angel, and Jeff Swicegood, all attending for the first time.
Carol and Ric Harris had attended once before, in 2001. Carol recalled that it was snowing that night and Doc Young’s band was playing.
Charles Christmas should get an award. He has come every year for 30 years and loves the celebration. He retired last year from banking and started reading about the history of Rowan County. He says he didn’t have time to learn the history of where he lives until he retired. Now he loves reading historical writings and appreciates the bell tower not only for the festivity, but for the historical significance of the site.
Allen and Cindy Amerson waited patiently near the end of the line to sign up for prizes. Allen had been a winner last year. They have been coming each year since 1994 and like how friendly and polite the crowd is, not wild like some New Year’s parties.
Shortly before midnight, Hales announced Maddie Wagoner was the winner of the $100 gift certificate and the honor of ringing the bell first to mark the New Year.
It was beginner’s luck for 10-year-old Maddie, attending for the first time.
The crowd counted down, then erupted into blaring horns, much to Roxie the Labrador’s dismay, but to the delight of everyone else. Some took a stab at singing “Auld Lang Syne.”
And above the noise, the bells sounded their welcome to the New Year, pulled into their yearly service by Maddie’s young, eager hands.