What to know before you go: New Year's Eve in Traverse City

Dec. 30—TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City area will offer several options to ring in the New Year — and do so safely — this weekend.

Before heading out, here is some information to know:

CherryT Ball Drop

The annual focal point of the city's New Year's Eve celebrations, The CherryT Ball Drop, will occur once again at Cass and Front Streets, beginning at 10:30 p.m. At midnight, a giant lit up cherry will descend, and fireworks will occur afterward.

The event raises money for local non-profits — its name, CherryT, is a pun based on the word "charity" — and a $5 donation is recommended for admission.

This event has been known to draw more than 10,000 people downtown every year, while other venues throughout the region will host events as well.

Other options

Nearby, North Bar TC will host a masquerade party, with views of the cherry drop atop the building's rooftop deck. Tickets are available, ranging from $40 for general admission to $185 for a single VIP ticket. The event will run from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Also downtown, Encore 201 will host its own New Year's Eve party beginning at 7:30 p.m., with admission at $10.

Elsewhere, venues such as Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Crystal Mountain, Bonobo Winery, and Black Star Farms are all hosting their own New Year's Eve celebrations, according to event listings at TraverseCity.com.

For the kids

For those with children who can't stay up until midnight, Great Lakes Children's Museum offers a ball drop during its regular daytime sessions Saturday.

The drop happens a half an hour before the end of each session, which runs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; noon to 2 p.m.; and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Reservations are required. Admission to the museum is $8 a person.

The morning session is sold out, according to the museum's website, greatlakeskids.org.

Safety first

This annual convergence of crowds, revelry, traffic, and possibly icy weather can bring with it some risks. The Traverse City Police Department plans to have extra personnel assigned to the CherryT Ball Drop and on patrol that night, Capt. Keith Gillis said.

The downtown event, which has been attracting crowds annually for a decade and a half, is "well organized" and typically runs smoothly, from a public safety standpoint, Gillis said.

He said the police department approaches it in much the same way as it does the Cherry Festival in the summer: "We prepare for the worst and pray for the best," he said. "We plan accordingly, based on the amount of people that will have gotten there."

Gillis encouraged attendees to pay attention to their surroundings, and "if you see something, say something."

Those planning on imbibing also should make arrangements ahead of time to get home safely: Drink responsibly, take the weather into account, and appoint a designated driver — or make use of another transportation service, Gillis said.

"If they've been drinking, they shouldn't be getting behind the wheel — period," he said.

The National Weather Service reports temperatures could be near 40 degrees during the day Saturday, but will drop below freezing, toward a low of 20 degrees, as the night goes on. That means the potential for icy roads.

"Our main concern would be roadways that have some leftover water on them from snow melting," said Sean Christensen, meteorologist with the NWS in Gaylord.

Transportation

If revelers don't have a designated driver, there are numerous local taxi and shuttle options available. Most are a phone call away, and most bars will have contacts for those services.

"If they're at one of their establishments downtown and they ask for a ride, there's usually a line of (taxis) in the alley waiting," Gillis said.

The Bay Area Transit authority will offer limited late night New Year's Eve Link On-Demand services until 12:30 a.m., and the Bayline will have buses every 30 minutes from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., according to the BATA website.

New Year's Eve rides can be requested using the TransLoc app.

The last Bayline departures include:

* 12:47 am: From Board at State and Cass eastbound to East Bay Hotels / Woodland Creek Park

* 12:50 a.m.: From Front and Union westbound to Meijer Park and Ride

As a last resort, AAA operates its "Tow to Go" service on New Year's Eve, available from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day.

The program is free to members and non-members of the motor club. If impaired drivers have no other safe alternative, AAA will transport them and their vehicles to their home or another designated location within 10 miles. The number for the service is (855) 2-TOW-2-GO.

Rides can't be scheduled in advance, as the program is intended "as a safety net for those that did not plan ahead," according to the AAA website.

The service may not be offered in some rural areas — or in cases of severe weather.