Ding-dong! The bell is back.

At the stroke of midnight last Wednesday, the Capital Hotel marked the New Year with the ringing of its bell from its bell tower, manager Jonas Smith said.

The hotel fixed its bell, which many patrons remember from the 1980s, about two months ago.

'The response has been very good across the board,' he said hours before the New Year's ring.

Prompted by customers who remember the bell when it was originally installed along with the hotel's facade, management put fixing the bell on its list of priorities.

Eventually, the bell worked its way up to the top priority, Smith explained.

It fell into disrepair about seven years ago thanks to ravens and the elements, Smith said.

It didn't take long to fix the bell with it being a matter of mainly wiring.

While most have responded well to the sound of the bell at noon and 5 p.m. every day, it has caught off-guard those who happen to be standing beneath the bell at the time.

As Main Street merchants work on making improvements to the area, Smith noted this is one more 'quirky' thing that adds to the atmosphere in the downtown core.

As for the timing of the ringing each day, Smith noted many workers get their lunch break at noon, and 5 p.m. generally signifies the end of the work day.