From giant acorns to giant pickles, many cities and towns in North Carolina drop their own objects to mimic the ball drop in Times Square — signifying the countdown to the New Year.
For the past two years, sophomore Erin Boehlert has been celebrating New Year’s Eve at First Night Raleigh, the official name of the symbolic acorn drop. In 2012, a record 80,000 people counted down in downtown Raleigh as the giant acorn dropped.
“It’s really busy, but it’s a good atmosphere,” she said. “It’s good to be around people and celebrate.”
Raleigh, known as the “City of Oaks” because of the many oak trees that line the streets of the city, has been dropping the acorn since 1992.
For many, New Year’s means more than watching the New York ball drop on TV.
Freshman Anna Phares attends a New Year’s celebration near her home in Richmond, Va.
“People just fill the streets kind of like Halloween on Franklin,” she said. “It’s pretty rowdy. There are a lot of people on the roofs and a lot of screaming.”
In Southern Pines, New Year’s festivities have more of a family feel. At the early hour of 8 p.m., the town drops a four-foot steel pine-cone laced with lights.
“It’s a tradition,” said Jessica Harrelson, president of the Southern Pines Business Association, which hosts the celebration each year.