PORTLAND (AP) -- Bitterly cold temperatures helped Mainers to usher in the new year last night.

Icy readings plunged even further as winds gusting up to 35 mph swept across Maine, making it feel like 10 below zero on New Year's Eve. The National Weather Service says the wind chill would be 20 below zero by Thursday morning.

The cold didn't keep revelers inside New Year's Eve. In Portland, nearly 4,000 people braved the cold to see comedian Bob Marley's two shows. There were waiting lines at several bars and clubs in the Old Port.

Some Mainers preferred to welcome 2009 on a quieter note. More than 50 people gathered at the century-old First Assembly of God church in Portland to share a meal and a New Year's Eve service.