This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Forget the fireworks on New Year's Eve in downtown Salt Lake City and get ready for the replacement: the biggest disco ball in America — a glittering sphere 20 feet in diameter.
There is a caveat, however. The Downtown Alliance that puts on the year-end show Dec. 29-31 doesn't have the money yet.
"We are proceeding as though we are going to do it," said Jason Mathis, executive director. "But we need some help with extra money."
The business organization has launched a Kickstarter campaign for what it is labeling "a fireworks alternative, promoting clean-air celebrations."
The Salt Lake City Council will fund $25,000 for the celebration, said Chairman Charlie Luke. And he congratulated the Downtown Alliance for coming up with an alternative to fireworks.
"Usually we fund fireworks to $10,000 or $15,000," he said. "This [grant] is bigger but the ball can be used for multiple years."
The Downtown Alliance needs another $25,000 to make the disco ball a reality, Mathis said.
By contrast, the fireworks show at last year's Eve celebration cost $10,000.
Those wishing to donate can go to http://kck.st/1u8Cl0L.
Cities in other countries have successfully used large-scale light shows with disco balls as a focal point for celebrations and events, Mathis said.
"This is a creative solution, but we have to make it awesome," he said. "We want to make it cooler than fireworks."
The Times Square New Year's Eve ball is 12 feet in diameter.
On Dec. 31, the Salt Lake City ball would be suspended over the city with a light show illuminating the crowd, streets and surrounding buildings to ring in the New Year, without contributing particulate matter to the air, he explained.
Mathis conceded, however, that doing away with a fireworks show is largely a symbolic measure because past New Year's pyrotechnics had not added significantly to the air pollution.
"This is a symbol of positive change. Everyone must make an effort for cleaner air," he said. "New Year's Eve seems to be the right time to that."