Pennsylvania

Celebrate New Year's Eve With Pennsylvania's Weird Drops

Instead of trekking to New York, why not stay local for New Year's Eve and celebrate with a few uniquely Pennsylvanian drops?

A New Year's kiss during the Times Square ball drop is a romantic dream for countless couples. But truth be told, isn't it a little cliché at this point?

Yes, you can make the trek across two states and then wait among throngs of tourists and hope to catch a glimpse of the crystal ball from way in the back.

Or you can stay local and ring in the New Year a little differently. Can you say Peep drop? Or Mushroom drop?

That's right, Pennsylvania's renowned for ringing in the New Year with its own creative drops.

In Bethlehem, the home of candy company Just Born, Inc., you can watch as a giant, illuminated, 400-pound Peep chick make its way down a pole during the 10th annual Peepfest. And you don't even have to stay up late for this unique drop, as it happens at 5:15 p.m. Monday.

If you're not a Peep person, you can always head over to Harrisburg, where a giant strawberry will descend on Market Square to accompanying fireworks.

In Kennett Square, people celebrate the area's mushroom-growing industry with a giant mushroom drop downtown.

Lebanon honors its Pennsylvania Dutch traditions by lowering a giant bologna, which this year will be carried by a new mascot: The Bologna Ranger.

Beavertown sticks to its namesake by dropping a life-size plush beaver named "Bucky." Dillsburg also sticks with the word play by dropping a giant (dill) pickle.

Pottsville gives a nod to local brewery D.G. Yuengling & Son by raising a giant replica lager bottle, while Shamokin honors its history of coal mining by dropping a giant lump of coal.

And of course, in Hershey, a 7-foot-tall, 300-pound Hershey's Kiss will rise three stories up the historic Hershey Press Building. And rest assured, this Kiss will include the tip.

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