Fireworks launched from the top of Allentown's tallest building will be the centerpiece of the city's New Year's Eve festivities this year, thanks to PP&L Resources, Inc.'s major sponsorship of the Allentown Millennium Celebration.

A grand celebration, including traditional New Year's revelry and family oriented events, is slated for Dec. 31 to Jan. 2 to usher in the Year 2000.

Aided by the 322-foot-height of the PP&L headquarters building, the midnight fireworks will be visible to Lehigh Valley residents for miles around, and especially to those who already will be downtown for the free party on Hamilton Street on New Year's Eve.

PP&L also will sponsor a special fireworks presentation for children at 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 in the parking lot behind the First Union Bank, at the corner of 7th and Hamilton Streets.

"We're going to mark the start of the new millennium in style," said Bill Hecht, chairman, president and chief executive officer of PP&L Resources.

"We're glad that PP&L and other corporate sponsors have come on board as Millennium Celebration supporters," said Allentown Mayor William L. Heydt. "It'll be the biggest party this town has ever seen, and everyone is invited."

A Millennium Celebration Guide is currently being developed and will be distributed throughout the city in the coming month.

"PP&L has been an integral part of the Lehigh Valley for most of this century, so it's natural for us to be a key sponsor of the celebration that will carry Allentown into the next century," Hecht said.

PP&L's sponsorship, a combination of cash and in-kind services, also helps make possible other aspects of Allentown's three-day millennium celebration. In addition to the Dec. 31 street party, the city also is planning a black tie gala at the Allentown Hilton; the first weddings of the new millennium and a parade on Jan. 1; and a pops concert at Symphony Hall and a family festival at the Art Museum on Jan. 2.

The fireworks to be used are designed to be completely safe when used in close proximity to buildings, and will be launched by a company specializing in these types of displays. The fireworks were declared safe earlier this year in a rooftop test supervised by city public safety personnel.