As the clock ticks down to midnight on New Year’s Eve, cities across the South put their unique spin on the age-old tradition of counting down to the new year. From Atlanta’s iconic Peach Drop to the quirky Possum Drop in Tallapoosa, Georgia, these celebrations reflect the cultural diversity and creativity of Southern communities.
Atlanta’s Peach Drop: A Fruitful Tradition
Since 1989, Atlanta has been ringing in the new year with the descent of an 800-pound fiberglass and foam peach at Underground, a downtown shopping center turned events and artists’ complex. The Peach Drop, a symbol of Georgia’s agricultural abundance, has become an annual spectacle drawing locals and visitors alike. Notably, the 25th-anniversary celebration in 2013 added an unexpected twist – the inclusion of a giant yellow M&M, part of a marketing campaign that left the audience surprised and amused.
The peach takes approximately one minute to descend down the 138-foot tower, creating a visually stunning moment as revelers eagerly anticipate the arrival of the new year. However, recent years have seen the Peach Drop face disruptions, with on-again, off-again status primarily attributed to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the AJC reports that the Peach Drop is off the schedule once again this year, leaving Atlantans to find alternative ways to welcome 2024.
Opossums in the Spotlight: A Tale of Two Towns
In the far reaches of Western North Carolina, Clay’s Corner convenience store became the unlikely host for a decades-long tradition involving the lowering of various versions of opossums. Initiated in 1990 by Clay and Judy Logan, the tradition started with a ceramic opossum before evolving to include a live one the following year. PETA’s attempts to shut down the event over the years culminated in 2004 when Clay, in response, used roadkill for the descent.
The Logans retired in 2018, prompting the tradition to move to nearby Andrews, where it persisted for only one year before concluding after the 2019 Possum Drop. Meanwhile, in Tallapoosa, Western Georgia, the opossum drop continues, claiming never to have used a live possum. The taxidermied possum, affectionately named “Spencer,” was reportedly found deceased in a roadway by local taxidermist Bud Jones many years before the event’s inception in the mid-1990s.
The Tallapoosa Possum Drop is not merely a quirky event; it celebrates the town’s heritage and its early name, Possum Snout. In 2017, when the Peach Drop in Atlanta took a hiatus, Tallapoosa proudly asserted itself as the largest New Year’s Eve celebration in Georgia.
As the South bids farewell to the old and welcomes the new, these distinctive traditions highlight the charm and creativity embedded in Southern New Year celebrations. From the symbolic descent of a peach in Atlanta to the taxidermied possum’s gradual lowering in Tallapoosa, these traditions weave a rich tapestry of regional culture and community spirit.