Times Square 2000 Celebration planners in New York City said they will announce the highlights of Gotham's millennium celebration on Sept. 23 at 11:45 AM in the Bronx. Officials will make the announcement when they unveil the special New Year's Eve Ball that will be lowered from high above Times Square in Dec. 31. The joint announcement, which marks the 100-day countdown before New Year's Eve, is being made by Times Square Business Improvement District (BID) president Brendan Sexton and Countdown Entertainment president Jeffrey Straus. Representatives from both organizations will unveil the impressive Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. The event takes place at Hudson Scenic Studio in the Bronx, where the ball was assembled. Hudson Scenic is located at 1311 Ryawa Avenue in the Bronx.

Weighing 1,070 pounds and covered with 504 crystal triangles, the ball will be the centerpiece of Times Square 2000, which organizers describe as "The Global Celebration at the Crossroads of the World."

Event organizers report that the 24-hour, multi-media celebration, could attract more than 1.5 million visitors to Times Square and more than 1 billion television viewers worldwide.

-- By Murdoch McBride