BALL TO DROP — A lighted ball hangs above the Wellsburg Town Square, ready to be lowered at midnight Thursday to mark the arrival of 2026. It’s part of a family-friendly New Year’s celebration that will start at 10 a.m. -- Warren Scott

WELLSBURG — While more than 1 million people will be gathering at New York’s Times Square to usher in the new year, and many more will be watching it on television, Wellsburg will be continuing its own New Year’s tradition with a family-friendly event on the Town Square.

The festivities will begin at 10 p.m. Wednesday and continue until 12:30 a.m. Thursday and include free cookies and cocoa, music and the dropping of a lighted ball onto the square at midnight, followed by a fireworks display.

To prepare, city crews have raised the five-feet-wide sphere to the top of a pole across from City Hall and have tested an air cannon used to fire T-shirts commemorating the event into the hands of lucky attendees.

The ball is one of a few that have been used for the occasion, including one shaped like an apple as a nod to the Wellsburg Applefest and another constructed by vocational students at Brooke High School.

As in New York City, attendees are encouraged to count down to midnight as it is lowered.

Controlled by an electric winch, the ball’s descent takes about 45 seconds.

The celebration is believed to have started in 1991, when the city celebrated its 200th anniversary.

In recent years, Mayor Dan Dudley has dubbed it the Pajama Jam, inviting participants to attend in warm pajamas.

That practice was inspired by a local family who arrived in their sleepwear, having returned home from a wedding and learned they still had time to attend the New Year’s event.

City Collector-Treasurer Maryann Habbit and others behind it estimate 50 to 75 people have attended each year, depending on the weather.

Many Wellsburg residents who don’t attend watch the fireworks, which are provided by city funds allocated by Wellsburg Council, from their homes.