The holiday season is sliding to an end and things will get back to normal any minute now. But until then, you can embrace one last tradition, one last thing to bind us to each other as we look ahead to the new year.
How about we drop something?
The most famous drop in the United States is the dropping of the New Year's ball in Times Square, New York City. Thousands gather to watch the ball make its one-minute descent, arriving exactly at midnight.
The tradition first began in 1907. The original ball was made of iron and wood and weighed 700 pounds; the current ball is made of Waterford Crystal, weighs 1,070 pounds, and is six feet in diameter. There are over 9,000 LED lights, but the ball uses hardly any energy. There have only been two times since 1907 that the ball was not lowered and that was in 1942 and 1943 due to wartime restrictions.
Closer to home, you could actually make it to the Walleye Drop in Port Clinton, Ohio. A 20ft, 600-pound fiberglass walleye fish has made an appearance and been dropped since 1996. Residents hold a large outdoor celebration and downtown street fair, complete with walleye chowder, walleye sandwiches and even walleye-flavored popcorn. You can see more at their website here.
Then there is the Pinecone Drop in Flagstaff, Arizona. Although Arizona is more likely to be associated with cactus than pinecones, Flagstaff has the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the continental United States. On New Year's Eve a 5ft-by-7ft gold and silver aluminum pinecone has dropped from the 112-year-old Weatherford Hotel since 1999.
In Key West, FL a drag queen in a giant high heel is dropped. Naturally. The Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville, TN drops a giant neon guitar each year. Pensacola, FL drops a giant pelican and Miami drops a giant orange. You can drop a pickle in Mt. Olive, NC or a bologna in Lebanon, PA. Collectively, that's one whole dropped lunch.
The Icon wonders what we should drop for New Year's? If you were going to choose what to drop in Bluffton, what would it be? Leave us your comments and let us know.
However you choose to celebrate the New Year, the Icon hopes you and yours have a happy one.
