MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - The wet weather and tight security helped keep New Year's Eve celebrations safe on Beale Street. Instead of packing heat, people were only packing umbrellas. Police say they only arrested a handful of people.
"It was good; the weather of course played a big role and everything," said Ty Agee, President of the Beale Street Merchants Association. "We had a good turnout for the Hard Rock Guitar Drop… the rain kind of slowed it down."
Rain may have kept the crowds small, but it didn't dampen the spirits of party-goers.
Tiffany Phillips, a cook at B.B King's, said "Everybody just got out and enjoyed themselves, it was wild, it was nice."
Besides the wet weather security was a top priority, especially following the Christmas Eve shooting at Club Crave. But the city took quick action and shut the club down last week.
Mayor Wharton said it was due to its history of violence, which included shootings, multiple fights, and a stabbing.
Agee believes it was the right move. "I feel like that was the right decision that the mayor made shutting that down," he said. "I believe that you could open up an ice cream stand down there and somebody would get shot on Saturday night."
But just to be sure, police substations were set up along with checkpoints to metal detect and wand for any type of weapons. Police say they only arrested a handful of people for drunken or disorderly conduct.
