Possums, Pickles, and Pineapples: Other Stuff We Drop on New Year’s Eve
Floating around the internet recently was the story of one North Carolina town’s strange tradition: lowering an opossum in a box to mark the beginning of the new year. No, really. Here’s a video from Possum Drop 2013.
Thousands of people hang out around a Brasstown gas station to watch. There’s also a “Possum Idol Sing Off’’ and a “Miss Possum Contest.’’ The aforementioned video even shows some kind of cross-dressing beauty pageant, which sounds surprisingly progressive for a spot that bills itself as the opossum capital of the world. Then there’s the main event, the grand finale, the New Year’s Dropping of the Opossum.
Well, the opossum isn’t truly dropped, but lowered. As the event’s founder told CBS News a few years ago: “If we said ‘Come to the lowering of the opossum,’ well, nobody would enjoy that.’’
Speaking of people enjoying it, animal rights advocates sure don’t—this despite the gas station website’s statement (written in very serious yellow Comic Sans font) that nothing is done to harm the little critter.
According to a North Carolina Fox affiliate, there won’t be a live opossum dropped in Brasstown this year “because the Possum Drop has been repeatedly challenged by animal rights advocates.’’ Instead, they’re dropping a dead one, which is somehow seen as an improvement.
Roadkill opossum is not the only noteworthy diversion from the traditional midnight ball drop. Here are some other items dropped in the name of end-of-year revelry:
∙ A big, bright model of an acorn gets dropped in Raleigh, N.C. It must have something to do with Raleigh’s nickname, “City of Oaks,’’ and its many oak trees.
∙ Fredericksburg, Va. used to drop a sculpture of a pear. Now it drops a sculpture of a pineapple. Nobody knows why.
∙ Harrisburg, Penn. drops a 100 pound strawberry sign. There’s a new strawberry this year, because the previous one was shattered in the 2014 drop. It’s worth noting VisitPA.com claims that “no one drops more unusual items than Pennsylvania.’’
∙ On that note, Dillsburg, Penn. will be celebrating its 22nd Annual New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop this year, dropping an anthropomorphic pickle. Dillsburg. Pickle. Ha!
∙ Boise, Idaho, is dropping a (not real) potato the size of a car. There are a ridiculous amount of different t-shirt designs commemorating the event.
∙ Fayetteville, Ark. drops a hog. Don’t get excited, PETA; it’s not a live animal, it’s an art piece. Maybe an art piece would be a better solution to Brasstown’s problems than roadkill.
∙ Port Clinton, Ohio, drops a giant fish sculpture named Wallie the Walleye. This explanatory video may alleviate some of your confusion.
∙ Prairie du Chien, Wisc.’s fish is real, but like Brasstown’s 2014 opossum, it is no longer living. The “Droppin of the Carp Committee’’ oversees the dropping of a dead carp at Carp Fest. It is named “Lucky.’’ People actually line up to kiss it.
∙ Speaking of Wisconsin (you definitely saw this coming), Plymouth, Wisc. drops an 80 pound decorated cheese wedge.
∙ Wetumpka, Ala. celebrates by dropping a “meteor’’(not a real one, but one apparently made of fireworks), since the town sits at the site of an ancient meteor impact crater.
∙ Pensacola, Fla. drops a pelican sculpture. The event description includes the following helpful tip: “BE PATIENT AND HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR. Your feet will get stomped on. People will block your view. Someone is bound to bump into you. Keep your cool and you (& those around you) will enjoy the New Year’s Eve Pelican Drop.’’ Okay.
∙ Prescott, Ariz. drops a giant neon boot at the Whiskey Row Boot Drop, which actually sounds like a fantastic time, seeing as it’s at some place called Whiskey Row.
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