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The Possum Drop is an annual New Year's Eve event in which an opossum is lowered at midnight. The event began in 1990 in Brasstown, North Carolina. [1] Since 1990, the event evolved to include various elements such as contests, music, and festivities.
Brasstown's Possum Drop was originally held at a convenience store called Clay's Corner, owned by Clay and Judy Logan. A plexiglass cage containing a live opossum was lowered slowly from the roof of the store. [2] Though it is referred to as a "possum drop," the animal was not physically "dropped", and was lowered in the same manner as a time ball. The opossums are released afterwards. [3]
The festivities included a contest with men dressed as women to compete for the title of "Miss Possum Queen". Additionally, there was bluegrass music, snacks, beverages, and souvenir merchandise. [4] [5]
The Possum Drop started in 1990 using a ceramic opossum lowered in a fish bowl. [6] The next year, a real opossum, trapped for the occasion, was used. [4] Before the 2004 Possum Drop, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) protested, so roadkill was used in the years following 2004. [7]
The event moved to nearby Andrews, North Carolina in 2018-2019 due to Clay and Judy Logan's retirement. However, one of the opossums was injured. During the 2018-2019 event, the opossum experienced a broken leg that was later amputated. After lawsuits by PETA and appeals to state officials by concerned citizens, the town opted not to continue the Possum Drop and has not held it since. [1]
In Tallapoosa, Georgia, local businessman Danny Welch organizes the annual event. This event uses a taxidermy opossum rather than a live one. The 2023 celebration included George Franco as Master of Ceremonies, performances by bands, and a musical guest. [8]
Spencer, a taxidermy opossum, is suspended in a wire ball wrapped with Christmas lights and is kept at ground level most of the night to allow spectators to see and take pictures. At 11:30 pm, he is raised to the top of one of the city's tallest buildings, and at midnight, is slowly lowered to the ground to signify the start of the new year. Spencer's name is a tribute to Ralph L. Spencer. [9]
The event attracts visitors from across the country and has caught the attention of local and national media. Due to it's gaining popularity, The Learning Channel (TLC) chose The Possum Drop in Tallapoosa as the location to film the New Years Special for their series, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
Possum drops have been subject to criticism and protest. PETA successfully sued to stop Brasstown's 2013 Possum Drop under the premise that the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission lacked the authority to issue a catch permit for the event. [10] The organizers decided to use a taxidermy opossum instead, [11] to which PETA did not object. [12]
The North Carolina legislature passed a law in 2013 to expressly allow the commission to issue such permits, and the Brasstown event resumed in 2014. Thousands of local residents and others from all over the U.S. signed petitions to stop the event from using a live opossum. [13]
Brasstown received national attention for the 2015 New Year Possum Drop when PETA again filed a motion to prevent Clay's Corner store from obtaining a capture permit. Logan claimed to have already decided, due to time concerns, not to obtain a state permit for that year's drop. [12]
Clay County is a county located in the far western part of U.S. state North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 11,089. The county seat is Hayesville.
Opossums are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 126 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North America in the Great American Interchange following the connection of North and South America.
Cherokee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It borders Tennessee to its west and Georgia to its south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,774. The county seat is Murphy.
Murphy is a town in and the county seat of Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. It is situated at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Valley rivers. It is the westernmost county seat in the state of North Carolina, approximately 360 miles (580 km) from the state capital in Raleigh. The population of Murphy was 1,608 at the 2020 census.
Hayesville is a town in Clay County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 311 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Clay County.
Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body by mounting or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word taxidermy describes the process of preserving the animal, but the word is also used to describe the end product, which are called taxidermy mounts or referred to simply as "taxidermy".
Thomas Roger West is a former Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives representing the state's 120th district, including constituents in Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Macon counties. A contractor from Marble, North Carolina, West served 8.5 term in the state House.
First Night is a North American artistic and cultural celebration on New Year's Eve, taking place from afternoon until midnight. Some cities have all their events during the celebration outside, but some cities have events that are hosted indoors by organizations in the city, especially clustered in the local historic downtown which are easily walkable to each other, such as churches and theaters. The celebration is family-friendly and alcohol-free, serving as an alternative to conventional adult New Year's parties that are abundant with alcohol. Since it happens on New Year's Eve, First Night celebrations are actually held on the last night of the old year. First Night celebrates a community's local culture, often featuring music, dance, comedy, art, fireworks and, in some cities, ice sculptures and parades.
Marn Grook, marn-grook or marngrook is the popular collective name for traditional Indigenous Australian football games played at gatherings and celebrations by sometimes more than 100 players. From the Woiwurung language of the Kulin people, it means "ball" and "game".
The John C. Campbell Folk School, also referred to as "The Folk School", is located in Brasstown, North Carolina. It is the oldest and largest folk school in the United States. It is a non-profit adult educational organization based on non-competitive learning. The Folk School offers classes year-round in over fifty subject areas including art, craft, music, dance, and nature studies. Established in 1925, the Folk School's motto is "I sing behind the plow".
North Georgia is the northern hilly/mountainous region in the U.S. state of Georgia. At the time of the arrival of settlers from Europe, it was inhabited largely by the Cherokee. The counties of north Georgia were often scenes of important events in the history of Georgia. It was the site of many American Civil War battles, including the Battle of Lookout Mountain and the Battle of Chickamauga, leading up to the Atlanta Campaign. Today, particularly in the northeast portion of the region, tourism sustains the local economy.
The Times Square Ball is a time ball located in New York City's Times Square. Located on the roof of One Times Square, the ball is a prominent part of a New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square commonly referred to as the ball drop, where the ball descends down a specially designed flagpole, beginning at 11:59:00 p.m. ET, and resting at midnight to signal the start of the new year. In recent years, the ball drop has been preceded by live entertainment, including performances by musicians. Over 1,000,000 people from around the world attend.
U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is the longest numbered route in the U.S. state of North Carolina, running 604 miles (972 km) from the Tennessee state line to the Outer Banks. The route passes through the westernmost municipality in the state, Murphy, and one of the most easternmost municipalities, Manteo, making US 64 a symbolic representation of the phrase "from Murphy to Manteo" which is used to refer to the expanse of the state. The highway is a major east–west route through the central and eastern portion of the state.
Frank Park was an American politician, educator, lawyer and jurist from the state of Georgia.
The Mount Olive Pickle Company is an American food processing company located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. The company's primary product is pickled cucumbers, but it is also a large supplier of pepper, mixed pickle, relish, and other pickled products. Mt. Olive is the largest independent pickle company in the United States and the top-selling pickle brand in the Southeastern United States, where its market share approaches 70 percent.
The North American School Scrabble Championship, formerly the National School Scrabble Championship, is a Scrabble tournament for 3rd grade to 8th grade students, held annually in North America since 2003.
Roadkill cuisine is preparing and eating roadkill, animals hit by vehicles and found along roads.
Black Bike Week, also called Atlantic Beach Bikefest, Black Bikers Week, and The Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival, is an annual motorcycle rally in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area, held on Memorial Day weekend. Called a "one-of-a-kind event" and "an exhibitionist's paradise" by Jeffrey Gettleman, Black Bike Week is "all about riding, styling and profiling," in the words of Mayor Irene Armstrong of Atlantic Beach, South Carolina.
Brasstown is an unincorporated community located mostly within Clay County, North Carolina, United States, though roughly one third of Brasstown is within the adjacent Cherokee County. Brasstown Creek travels through the community and separates the two counties.