North Carolina New Year's Eve Drops May Top Many Unusual Lists

North Carolina provides quite an array of unusual opportunities to ring in the new year while watching an item being dropped at midnight. North Carolina does not necessarily drop the ball when ringing in the coming year. Well, the items are not actually dropped...and not always at midnight. Check out the latest North Carolina New Year's Eve drops, each with an interesting style of its own.

NC Town With a Big Heart Welcomes New Year!

Black Creek Heart Drop

Black Creek, North Carolina wishes to recognize their slogan "A Small Town With a Big Heart." The Black Creek New Year's Heart Drop was begun by their former mayor Smith and is held at the Family Enrichment Center. A large red heart is lowered at this annual event.

Southern Style New Year Celebration with Opossum Drop – Photo by Tree & J. Hensdill on Wikimedia Commons

Brasstown Possum Drop

The North Carolina New Year's drop with the most controversy surrounding it is the Opossum Drop in Brasstown. A plexiglass covered box with a live possum is lowered to mark the end of the new year at Clay's Corner, the unofficial Opossum Capital of the World. The event began in 2004. The 2011 Possum Drop event, which includes fireworks, is scheduled to begin at 10:00 p.m. with a pre-show at 8:45 p.m. The event draws crowds of about 3,000 when the weather is mild.

Because this event involves a live animal, some activists from FEMA are calling foul play and lawsuits have been considered with suggestions to use a taxidermied animal rather than a live one. FEMA's activism resulted in the use of a dead "road kill" opossum being used for the 2005 New Year's festivities.

New Year's Eve Flea Drop in Eastover, NC

Eastover Flea Hill Flea Drop


Eastover, North Carolina provides an unusual start to the new year by lowering a 3-foot, 30-pound wooden flea with added foam, fabric, and wire at the Eastover Community Center. The festivities for the New Year's Eve Flea Drop, including entertainment and concessions, begin at 10:00 p.m. and include the story of the legend of Flea Hill.

Mt. Olive NC Offers New Year's Pickle Drop – Photo by Renee Comet on Wikimedia Commons

Mt. Olive Pickle Drop


A tradition that began in 1998, Mt. Olive provides a New Year's Eve Pickle Drop at the intersection of Cucumber and Vine, a fitting, although rather unique, tribute to a town known for their pickle industry. Those who wish to witness the 3-foot pickle being lowered down a 45-foot flagpole should plan to arrive in the evening rather than at midnight because the pickle reaches its destination at 7:00 p.m. in 2011.

The event drew a crowd of approximately 2,000 folks in the small town in 2010. This event also encourages people to bring canned goods to benefit the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. The Pickle Drop includes live music, and free refreshments are provided. What's one of the main items on the menu? Pickles, of course!

Acorn New Year's Drop in Raleigh NC – Photo by Ke4Roh on Wikimedia Commons

Raleigh Acorn Drop



Since 1991, North Carolina's capitol city has enjoyed a First Night Celebration on New Year's Eve. A huge acorn is lowered to mark the end of one year and the beginning of the next. Raleigh is also known as the City of Oaks, hence the choice of the illuminated steel and copper acorn as the new year's signal. The Raleigh celebration starts early in the afternoon and runs through midnight with special events such as a procession, puppets, a circus, and more. Two drops are provided in City Plaza in Raleigh, one at 7:00 p.m. and another at midnight.

Celebrate the Start to a New Year in North Carolina

Those who wish to have a little fun on New Year's Eve can find some rather unusual celebration choices in North Carolina, from watching an acorn drop to seeing a heart descend. Perhaps a pickle drop suits the bill or maybe you'd like to see the state's new year flea or oppossum mark the annual turning of the calendar to January 1.

Oh, by the way, I hope that all of you have a joyous start to a happy new year!