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The Daily Tar Heel

What do people drop on New Year's Eve?

No possums were harmed during the writing of this story

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.

“They close off downtown Broad Street; there’s a DJ and a band. Some stores stay open late and serve food and hot chocolate.” 

Brasstown, a town priding itself as the possum capital of the world, lowers a live possum safely to the ground at New Year’s. The celebration also features a “Eulogy to a Possum,” a “Possum Idol” sing off, and a Miss Possum contest. 

Mount Olive drops a glowing three-foot pickle from a flagpole in honor of the Mt. Olive Pickle Company, a business that has been a staple in the town since 1926.

Junior Kacy Rhyne said she wished there were more festivities for the holiday in her hometown of Winston-Salem. 

“A lot of people go to Lake Norman,” she said. “It’s basically like a normal weekend.”

But Harrelson said New Year’s celebrations have become something towns can take pride in. 

“It’s a production,” Harrelson said. “This year we want it to be awesome. We want to take it up a notch.”

university@dailytarheel.com

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