Things that Drop on New Year’s Eve

MoonPie over Mobile
New Orleans may have a premium on Mardi Gras partying, but Mobile, AL, claims the country’s first Mardi Gras celebration: a masked parade in 1703. Centuries later, the MoonPie (marshmallow fluff sandwiched between graham-cracker cookies with a candy coating) was invented in Chattanooga, TN. By the 1950s, MoonPies were being tossed from floats during Mobile’s Mardi Gras parades; today, the city is home to more than 50 parading and non-parading groups. To celebrate each New Year – and the beginning of Mardi Gras season – the city draws partiers downtown with a parade. At midnight, a 12-ft., electronic MoonPie drops 34 stories against a backdrop of fireworks.

Acorn Drop in the City of Oaks
Raleigh, NC, is known as “the city of oaks,” so a giant acorn is a logical “drop” item for the local New Year’s Eve countdown. The bronze and steel sculpture, which weighs approximately 1,200 lbs., was created by David Benson, a local artist, in celebration of the city’s 1992 bicentennial. Annual festivities for First Night Raleigh include live music, comedy, dance and interactive-art displays, and close with the midnight acorn drop.

Pennsylvania’s Peep Fest
Bethlehem, PA, the home of marshmallow Peeps® manu-facturer Just Born Inc., hosts a four-day Peeps Fest in honor of the popular candy. Live music, art exhibits and photos with the Peeps mascot (a chick) are available during the event, which ends with a Peep drop. Fleet-wood Fixtures (Leesport, PA) manufactured the fiberglass, resin Peep, which measures 6 ft. x 5 ft. x 4.5 ft. and weighs 85 lbs. It’s ceremoniously lowered 60 ft. on December 31, the last day of the festival. Just Born – which also manu-factures Hot Tamales®, Mike and Ike® and Zours® – and ArtsQuest, a local nonprofit, sponsor the event.

Walleye Madness at Midnight
Port Clinton, OH, is a Lake Erie town known for freshly caught walleye and a wry sense of humor. This year marks the 17th annual Wylie-the-Walleye drop, an event started as a joke in 1996. The original Wylie, a 120-lb., papier-mâché replica, was cracked during a rowdy celebration in 1997. Consequently, Jim Wendt (Jim’s Taxidermy, Port Clinton, OH) created a 600-lb., 20-ft., fiberglass Wylie, who is dropped each year during the town’s Walleye Madness at Midnight celebration. Allure Advertising in nearby Marblehead donated signage and advertising for the event.

 

 

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