Ball drop

The 20th annual Buffalo Ball Drop & Fireworks Display, presented by 97 Rock (WGRF-FM), will be putting on a special show this year to celebrate its platinum anniversary.

The event, held annually on New Year's Eve at the Electric Tower in downtown Buffalo, is highlighting the anniversary and the fact that the Winter Classic Hockey Game (aka "The Ice Bowl") is the next day.

Buffalo Sabres players from the 1988 team are expected to appear and special messages from the current squad will be beamed to the crowd via the Jumbotrons that flank the Ball Drop stage.

97 Rock (WGRF-FM) morning show personality Larry Norton once again will be hosting the show.

"It's like it was just yesterday that we rang in 1988 with a 'rather small' crowd of 15,000 in Roosevelt Square," said Norton. "I am pleased to say that this event is now No. 2 in the country and we should easily surpass 40,000 this year due to all these extra folks visiting the Western New York for the NHL Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year's Day."

The radio station started the Ball Drop as a gift to listeners and the City of Buffalo upon their return to the airwaves 20 years ago.

The Ball will drop in synch with its sister in New York's Time Square and a giant fireworks display will start immediately. The show is choreographed to classic rock music for 15 minutes at multiple launch points on the

tower and off-site

aerial locations.

The event begins

at 10:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 31,

with entertainment

from 97 Rock's Norton

and station deejay

Dave "DJ Jickster" Gick from the Frey

Electric Stage. A

video presentation looking back on

the past 20 years

will be played on

the Jumbotrons.

These were produced

courtesy of 7 News WKBW-TV, the TV sponsor of the Ball Drop for the entire 20 years.

Mainstay sponsor Independent Health is again the major presenter and is bookending the night with their First Night Buffalo family activities at the Convention Center from 5 to 10 p.m. and the Ball Drop.