Can you believe it? It’s almost 2012! To celebrate, we’ve compiled a list of 10 of the top quirkiest New Year’s Eve celebrations in the United States, according to TripAdvisor editors. From a sardine and maple leaf drop in Maine to a flea drop in North Carolina, these events will provide fun and exciting ways to ring in the New Year. Take a peek at the list and tell us which event you’d like to attend most in the comments section below:
1. The Maine Event – Sardine and Maple Leaf Drop, Eastport, Maine
Home to the first sardine cannery in the U.S., Eastport has celebrated the industry since 2005 by dropping an eight-foot long, 30-pound sardine made from wood and acrylic at midnight Atlantic Time/11 p.m. Eastern Time.
2. Mammal Madness – Possum Drop, Brasstown, North Carolina
Brasstown will celebrate its title of “Possum Capital of the World” for the 18th year, with two fun-filled hours of activities, including the lowering of a triangular, plexiglass box containing a prized possum.
3. Savory Soirée: Bologna Drop, Lebanon, Pennsylvania
As the clock strikes midnight, a 12-foot long loaf of bologna, weighing 200 pounds, swallows the attention of New Year’s revelers as it is lowered to the ground from a crane service. Following its descent to Earth, the salty sandwich staple is donated and devoured by a local charity.
4. Pest-acular Party – Wooden Flea Drop, Eastover, North Carolina
Until the 1920s, Eastover was known as Flea Hill, due to a pandemic of the pesky insects throughout town. In honor of its former wretched “residents”, the town will ring in 2012 by dropping a 30-pound flea for the second consecutive year.
5. Trifecta of Fun – “Sushi” Drag Queen Drop, Key West, Florida
Travelers in Key West can ring in 2012 at The Bourbon Street Pub, where legendary drag queen “Sushi” is lowered to the ground, while seated in a giant, glossy red shoe. Celebrations will also be held at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, where a six-foot tall Styrofoam conch shell is lowered into a sea of revelers– while a “pirate wench” will be dropped from the mast of an old wooden ship at Schooner Wharf Bar on nearby Williams Street.
6. Marshmallow Madness – MoonPie Drop, Mobile, Alabama
Home of America’s first Mardi Gras celebration, Mobile celebrates the famous “throw” of masked Mardi Gras revelers by dropping a 12-foot electronic MoonPie from a height of 34 stories.
7. Festive Fromage: Cheese Drop, Plymouth, Wisconsin
Cheese lovers can satisfy their cravings at Plymouth, Wisconsin’s annual “New Year’s Cheese” drop, which pays homage to the local dairy industry. This year will mark the fifth annual dropping of the 80-pound Styrofoam chunk of cheese from a 100-foot ladder truck.
8. Groovin’ in the Gulf – Pelican Drop, Pensacola, Florida
The streets of Pensacola will be flocking with fun and games in honor of the New Year with three stages of live entertainment, concluding when a giant, 14-foot pelican, makes its 100-foot descent at midnight.
9. Fruity Fun – Watermelon Drop, Vincennes, Indiana
For the fourth year, Vincennes’ Watermelon Drop will celebrate the local melon-growing industry along with the start of the New Year. Thousands of spectators – many of whom are dressed as the waterlogged fruit – gather to watch the 18-foot, 500-pound watermelon drop 100-feet onto a “splatform”.
10. Midwest Mayhem – Little Apple Drop, Manhattan, Kansas
For folks who are not able to make it to New York City, Manhattan, Kansas brings the spirit of Times Square to the Midwest. At the stroke of midnight, a rotund ruby apple, made from aluminum and glass, will shimmy its way to the ground for the ninth consecutive year, as fireworks illuminate the sky.
