Department of Public Works crews have been working all day to prepare for Monday night?s New Year?s Eve bash in White Plains.

As many as 20,000 people are expected to turn up in the streets for the party, which is an alternative to the state?s annual Times Square celebration. The DPW has been working hard to make sure the New Year?s ball that will drop is operational.

The ball weighs 250 pounds and is made up of 10,000 light bulbs, and all the bulbs had to be tested to make sure the ball would glitter as locals ring in the new year.

High winds on Monday made raising the ball difficult, but workers were able to use a crane to hoist the ball into the air for a practice test.

A parks commissioner explains that in order to get the ball to drop at the exact stroke of midnight, all the workers set their cell phones to the same exact time. That way, he says, they know exactly when midnight will strike.

The party will consist of music, dancing, and fireworks at midnight. White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino says that White Plains is the place to be on New Year?s Eve.

?To have an extravaganza and live music ? that?s what the city is all about,? Delfino says.