We all know that at the start of the new year, the ball drops in New York City’s Times Square. People around the country celebrate cheer as we embark on a new year with new goals and visions.
While the ball in NYC may be the most famous, it isn’t the only way that people celebrate the last moments of New Year’s Eve.
Let’s look at some of the weirdest things people drop to ring in the new year:
1. Possums
Yup. Possums. Each year in Tallapoosa, Georgia, a giant stuffed possum named Spencer is dropped!
The city was once named Possum Snout, so this party is a way to celebrate their history and previous name.
This one is interesting, but in Brasstown, North Carolina, they drop a real possum in a plexiglass box!


2. Bologna
We all love lunch meat, but Lebanon, Pennsylvania loves it the most. They drop a 200-pound slice of the meat each year at midnight to ring in the year. Why? Because that’s where the strange meat was invented!


3. Ceramic Flea
Two words that don’t really go together: ceramic flea. Still, Eastover, North Carolina’s flea drop happens each year to celebrate their town’s incorporation as it used to be called Flea Hill.
The flea is 30 pounds and is three feet tall.
4. Drag queen in a heel
Key West, Florida really parties hard for the new year. They drop a drag queen named Sushi from a massive high heel shoe.
They started the practice in 1996 when Gary Marion, the given name of the drag queen, came up with the idea. It’s been going ever since.
5. To-go cups
Savannah, Georgia celebrates with a six-foot-tall replica of a to-go cup! They started in 2013 and it’s a reference to the fact that you are legally allowed to drink on the streets… as long as it’s in a to-go cup.
I love this one, personally.
6. A massive Peep
Peeps come around each Easter and some people hate them. Not Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, however. They invented the confection, and they are made at the local Just Born Quality Confections factory nearby.
The big one weighs 85 pounds and is 4.5 feet tall!
7. 18 watermelons
In 2007, Vincennes, Indiana, started dropping watermelons as a way to celebrate the new year.
Now, they have a massive replica that contains 18 of the sweet fruits.
When the replica is near the bottom of the rail, it drops the real ones and makes quite a mess!
8. A 6-foot crab
Easton, Maryland drops a massive 6-foot crab from the air each year. It makes sense since Maryland is home to so many of the crabs that we eat across the country!
This tradition started back in 2004 when they borrowed a similar idea from Bermuda.
9. 3-foot pickle
For North Carolina’s third entry on the list, Mt. Olive, North Carolina drops a massive 3-foot pickle to celebrate the new year.
If you’ve ever seen the Mt. Olive brand in a local store, this city is where they come from.
To get people to bed on time, however, they finish their drop at 7 pm and use Greenwich Mean Time (which is somehow more curious than the choice of a pickle).
10. A giant wrench
The giant wrench dropped in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania began in 2003 as an Eagle Scouts project. With a city being named “Mechanicsburg” I don’t have to explain why they drop a wrench, right?
It turns out they used to repair wagons heading west during the Oregan Trail days.
11. A foam potato
In Idaho, calling someone a potato is a compliment, not an insult. As the potato capital of the US, it’s no wonder that Boise, Idaho drops a massive foam potato with a crowd of 40,000 people watching.
The potato is about the size of a car.
12. Georgia Peach
Although Georgia isn’t really where peaches come from anymore, the agricultural history of the fruit still lingers.
As a result, Atlanta, Georgia drops an 800-pound peach each year. It’s been going on for over 30 years!
13. Giant Moon Pie
Moon Pies are delectable treats in the south and are made in Mobile, Alabama.
Their NYE festival includes an electric moon pie being dropped, the annual slicing of a 600-pound moon pie, and probably a whole lot of regret the next day.
14. Clam drop
The new year is celebrated in Yarmouth, Maine, by dropping a giant clam named Steamer from a belltower at the Yarmouth First Universalist Church.
It’s probably less creepy than dropping a crucifix or something like that.
15. Cows
The Chick-fil-A cow is rather popular, especially where it was born. In Marietta, Georgia, the NYE festival has a golf course, ice sculpting, and of course, the famous Chick-fil-A cow drop.
It sadly doesn’t come with waffle fries.
While the famous New Year’s Eve ball may be classic, it’s not NEARLY as fun as any of these are.
Celebrating local heritage while feasting on moon pies or pickles? Sign me up!
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