Monday, December 30, 2013

Drops

From Wikipedia:
"New Year's Drops:

On New Year's Eve, many localities in America mark the beginning of a year through the raising or lowering of an object. Many of these events are patterned off festivities that have been held at New York City's Times Square since 1908, where a large crystal ball is lowered down a pole atop One Times Square (beginning its decent at 11:59 p.m. local time, and concluding at midnight). In turn, the event was inspired by the time balls used by ship navigators in the 19th century to calibrate their chronometers. Whilst some of these events use a ball in imitation of Times Square, many "drops" utilize objects that represent an aspect of local culture, geography, or history. Ball drops are by far the most common in, but not exclusive to, the United States

UTC-3:

  • Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: A ball is dropped.  Over two million people turn up along four kilometers of sand and the fireworks last for almost thirty minutes.

Atlantic Time Zone:

North American Eastern Time Zone:

Florida:

  • Brooksville, Florida: A 200-pound tangerine was dropped 40 feet during the countdown to midnight until 2009. The tangerine dropped was an emblem of the citrus industry that once thrived in Brooksville.
  • Key West, Florida (Sloppy Joe's Bar): The Key West Conch Drop, where a six-foot Queen Conch Shell drops 20 feet to the top of the bar to usher in the New Year, is held annually for the island's official New Year celebrations.
  • Key West, Florida (801 Saloon): The 801 Saloon, a local gay bar, drops a ruby slipper with drag queen Gary "Sushi" Marion inside each year.
  • Miami, Florida: Miami is home of "The Big Orange" Drop. (Florida is the orange state) The 35-foot orange rises 400 feet until it reaches the top of the Hotel Intercontinental Miami and is dropped from the top.
  • Orlando, Florida: The Annual Church Street Entertainment New Year’s Eve Street Party includes "a huge video wall, confetti cannons, fireworks, and the tradition of the Orange Drop high above Church Street".
  • Sarasota, Florida: A glowing pineapple is dropped at midnight to ring in the new year in southwest Florida".

Georgia:

Indiana:

  • Kokomo, Indiana: An aluminum 70-pound Ball with 34,000 lights is dropped during The Kokomo Downtown Association New Year’s Eve Celebration.
  • Muncie, Indiana: A ball is dropped.
  • Vincennes, Indiana (near Terre Haute): The giant 18-foot, 500-pound steel-and-foam Watermelon Ball is raised 100 feet in the air during the 60-second countdown at midnight, then the replica releases 11 real locally-grown watermelons.

Maine:

  • Bangor, Maine: A beach ball covered in Christmas lights has been thrown off the top of a local restaurant since 2005.
  • Eastport, Maine: A sardine is dropped in a nod to the area’s history in the herring fishing and canning industry. This is the second of two object drops in Eastport (see also "Atlantic Time Zone" above). Both objects were created by sculptor Bill Schaefer of East Machias.

Maryland:

Michigan:



New York:

New York holds many elaborate drops, particularly the ball drop at Times Square. The state falls in second place for the most items dropped on New Year's Eve.
North Carolina:

  • Black Creek, North Carolina: A large red heart drop represents "A Small Town with a Big Heart".
  • Brasstown, North Carolina: A plexiglas pyramid containing a living opossum is lowered from the roof of Clay Logan's convenience store for The Possum Drop. The possum is turned loose at the end of the celebration.(The event was barred from occurring for 2013 due to a successful lawsuit from PETA.)
  • Eastover, North Carolina: A three-foot tall, thirty-pound wooden flea is dropped.
  • Charlotte, North Carolina: A lighted crown is (raised) 25 feet in the air at the stroke of midnight to represent the Queen City. Charlotte Center City Partners produces the festivities.
  • Mount Olive, North Carolina: The New Year's Eve Pickle is lowered down the Mt. Olive Pickle Company flagpole at 7 pm EST, midnight Greenwich Mean Time.
  • Raleigh, North Carolina: A 900-pound copper-and-steel acorn, designed by sculptor David Benson to celebrate the city's 1992 Bicentennial and Raleigh’s nickname, “The City of Oaks”, is lowered by a crane.

    • Ohio:


    Ontario:


    Pennsylvania:
    Pennsylvania is the state where the most objects are dropped on New Year's Eve.

    South Carolina:

    Tennessee (Eastern):

    Virginia:

    US Central Time Zone:

    Alabama:

    • Mobile, Alabama: A 600-pound, lit Moon Pie is lowered from the RSA Tower. The drop is televised locally by WKRG-TV and by several Raycom Media stations in Alabama. Festivities also include a Mardi Gras-styled parade, as moon pies are a traditional "throw" at Mardi Gras events in Mobile.
    • Fairhope, Alabama: A ball is dropped. The event was cancelled in 2010, but resumed in time to ring in 2011.
    • Wetumpka, Alabama: A meteorite is dropped at the Old Courthouse at 11pm Central Time in honor of the meteorite that hit the River City. At the stroke of midnight, a big fireworks display takes place over the river.

    Arkansas:

    Florida Panhandle:

    Illinois:

    Iowa:

    Kansas

    Louisiana:

    Mississippi:

    • Columbus, Mississippi: An illuminated 10-foot wide by 10-foot tall lit aluminum ball is hoisted over College Street 100 feet high as part of the "Having a Ball Downtown Block Party".

    Oklahoma:

    • Bartlesville, Oklahoma: An olive is dropped.
    • Oklahoma City: A lighted ball is raised during Opening Night.
    • Tulsa: The Tulsa Ball Drop, held annually in Brookside, a district famous for its nightlife, features live music, performances, and a street party.

    Tennessee (Central and Western):

    • Memphis, Tennessee: A guitar is dropped
    • Nashville, Tennessee: An 80-foot Guitar Drop took place at Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe during Music City's Bash On Broadway. In 2011 the partnership ended with Hard Rock Cafe and the guitar was exchanged for a 15-foot-tall music note.

    Texas:

    • Austin, Texas: Families in the Austin Woods neighborhood traditionally celebrate the new year with large illuminated new year's balls hung from trees, which are lowered at varying times during New Year's Eve. Downtown, a Lone Star was dropped until 2006, then replaced with a simple mirrored ball.
    • Houston, Texas: A star representing the Lone Star State is raised at midnight. There is also a Noon Ball Drop at the Children's Museum of Houston for families to celebrate New Year's Noon.
    • McAllen, Texas: A giant mirrored ball descends just before midnight. The first orb for 2008 was six feet in diameter, but in 2009 McAllen's big bash was expanded to include a bigger crowd (10,000 attended), a bigger party space and the bigger "Texas-sized" ball used ever since.
    • San Antonio, Texas: The elevator on the Tower of the Americas is raised.

    Wisconsin:

    • Plymouth, Wisconsin: Plymouth drops an 80-pound decorated cheese wedge, the newest Wisconsin cheese, from a 100 ft. ladder truck in a tribute to the region's dairy industry and dairy products. The Plymouth Arts Center hosts the annual “Build Your Own New Year’s Party” next to the Creamery Building's parking lot where "The Big Cheese Drop" takes place
    • Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin: A carp (real but dead) caught by local fishers and weighing between 25 and 30 pounds is lowered. A carp was chosen to represent the area's fishing industry and because the carp is considered one of the luckiest fish in Chinese culture. The carp, nicknamed “Lucky”, is lowered onto a throne. Each “Lucky” has a tree planted where it is buried with a commemorative plaque listing the carp's name and year.

    US Mountain Time Zone:

    Arizona:

     * Flagstaff, Arizona: A pine cone is dropped from the balcony of Weatherford hotel.

     

     
    US Pacific:  

    Washington:

    • Seattle, Washington: The elevator of the Space Needle is raised, followed by a fireworks display from the landmark. The fireworks shoot across the night sky and an estimated 400,000 people can see the show.

    California:



     

     

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