The Ball That Started A New Years Eve Tradition
According to a 2018 article in the Philadelphia Enquirer, Pennsylvania has more unique, and downright nutty, New Years Eve drops than any other state.
In our local area, look for the light bulb drop in Sunbury, the Baseball in Williamsport, Yuengling bottle in Pottsville, The Kettle Drop in McClure, the Coal in Shamokin, and in Northumberland PA, join the Countdown To Noon and see an Oxygen Isotope drop.
A Time Ball, Used To Tell Time, In Boston
What Inspired Us To Drop Things on New Years Eve?
In the 1830's and 1840's, canvas "Time Balls" were dropped near ports and harbors to help ship captains tell time. The time ball at Greenwich Station was lowered at exactly 1pm each day. They were eventually replaced with more reliable time keeping methods.
In 1905, Adolph Ochs, owner of the New York Times, began a tradition of a New Years eve party with fireworks, originally to celebrate the opening of his newspapers new headquarters at one Times Square. Traditionally New Yorkers would gather at Wall Streets Trinity Church to hear the bells ring on New Years Eve, but Adolphs fireworks display quickly became the more popular event.
Two years later, in 1907, the city, concerned that the embers would spark a fire, banned fireworks displays. Walter F. Palmer, editor of the Times, suggested Adolph create a Time Ball to replace the fireworks. Adolph hired Artkraft Strauss to build the ball, which was composed of wood and iron and 100 light bulbs. The ball weighed over 700lbs, and measured 5 feet in diameter. And thus began our new years eve tradition of watching the ball drop.
From there, local towns and cities were inspired to create their own displays, often based on the towns unique history or landmarks. Pennsylvania has one of the largest varieties of such New Years displays. Below is a list, in alphabetical order, of some of the weird things Pennsylvanians drop on New Years eve, and the histories of why they chose those items.
An Alphabetical List Of Things
Dropped in PA on New Years Eve
And the Histories Behind Those Items
Akron Pa (Lancaster County) - Purple & Gold Shoe
Broad Street Park, Akron
"Early in the 20th century, the Miller Hess Shoe Company became the dominant factor in the Borough's economy, a role it maintained until it closed its doors in 1985."
Allentown Pa - Liberty Bell
Event No Longer Held
During the Revolutionary war, the Liberty Bell was hidden in a church in Allentown PA.
Beavertown - Beaver
Event No Longer Held
Beavertown Rescue Hose Co., 222 Sassafrass St.
Bethlehem Pa - A Peep
A child friendly event, the peep drops at 5:30pm instead of at midnight. :-)
Bethlehem is home to the Peeps factory.
Burnham Pa - Train Wheel
I'm unsure if this is happening in 2019.
Pictures from 2018 - https://burnhamborough.net/nye-wheel-drop
The Drop "honors local business Standard Steel". In 2018 it was held at the Lions Club building. Contact the Burnham Fire Company of Lions Club for more information.
Carlisle PA - A Button, or A Car
Before the chalkboard painted vw bug is dropped, the public is invited to doodle on it.
WILL NOT TAKE PLACE IN 2019
In previous years, they dropped a button.
Cleona Pa - A Giant Pretzel
Event has been Discontinued
Cleona is in Lebonan County Pa, an area known for pretzels. But I believe this event paid homage to the Cleona Pretel factory, which was torn down in 1956.
Dillsburg - Pickle
See a video here -
There is a little pickle drop at 7:30
Mr Pickle is lowered at midnight on East Hanover Street.
Duncanon - Sled
A 10-foot sled, a model of the famed Lightning Guider manufactured at the Standard Sled Factory in Duncannon from 1904 to 1990, drops at the Clarks Ferry Tavern - https://www.facebook.com/events/duncannon-borough/duncannon-sled-drop/126402151488956/
(this event may occur at 10pm?)
The Lighting Guider Sled Company was based in Duncanon Pa. The old warehouse is now home to a sled museum and large antique mall.
East Petersburg - Hayden's Jug
Hayden's jug is a whiskey. Hayden Zug was a restaurant in East Petersburg Pa (now closed).
Easton Pa - Crayon
In 2010, The Crayola Factory in Easton Pa lowered a 100lb orange crayon on New Years eve. This appears to have been a one time event.
Christ Lutheran Church holds a "Raising of Star at 7:00 PM in honor of midnight in our sister city, Letterkenny Ireland" (contact the church for details, I do not see info for 2019 - https://www.facebook.com/pg/ChristLutheranEtown/)
Falmouth - Stuffed Goat
EVENT NO LONGER HELD
This event stopped occurring years ago. The Goat races however, continue each year -
Falmouth is home to a Goat Race each September. This annual event was started as a joke, but has been going strong for more than 20 years.
Hallam - Shoe
Inspired by the Haines Shoe House - one of my favorite museum tours in PA.
"Mahlon ‘The Shoe Wizard’ Haines built a shoe sales empire in central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland that included more than 40 stores. Haines had a flair for outlandish advertising, calling himself ‘Colonel’ Haines and offering money to smokers if they promised to quit and to those in a crowd who could identify him. The Shoe House was his ultimate gimmick. Built in 1948 (when Haines was seventy-three years old) of stucco over a wood and wire framework, there are seven rooms but really only enough space for a small family. The shoe motif is everywhere, including a stained glass window with an image of Haines in it. Haines offered the house free to elderly couples, who could live for a weekend like “kings and queens” at Haines’s expense. After 1950, it was also offered to honeymooners who had a Haines Shoe Store in their town."
Hanover PA - Pac Man
An 8 foot lighted pac man is dropped from the top of the arcade -
Harrisburg PA - Strawberry
The Strawberry is a reference to Harrisburg's Strawberry Square, and will drop from the Hilton Harrisburg, beginning one minute before midnight.
There's also a kids event, with a balloon drop, featuring 1,000 balloons, at 10pm
Hershey Pa - A Hersheys Kiss
A 7-foot, 340-pound Hershey’s Kiss is raised in ChocolateTown Square (in the town, not Hershey Park), with fireworks at midnight.http://www.hersheynewyears.org/
Highspire - Candy Drop
Highspire Memorial Park/Field, Second and Lumber street
A large box of candy is lowered, then opened for the candy to spill out.
Highspire drops candy in commemoration of the Knights Candy Store that operated there during the 1950s to 1970s
Info: www.highspire.org, or call the Highspire Borough office, 717-939-3303.
Hummelstown - Lollipop
EVENT DISCONTINUED?
Inspired by the Gladstone Candy Company in Hummelstown.
Kennet Square - Mushroom
Kennet square is known as the mushroom capital of the world.
Lancaster - Red Rose
"A symbol of the War of the Roses between Lancaster and York, the celebration takes place at Binns Park." https://visitlancastercity.com/event/nye-in-lancaster-city/
"The Wars of the Roses were a series of bloody civil wars for the throne of England between two competing royal families: the House of York and the House of Lancaster, both members of the age-old royal Plantagenet family. Waged between 1455 and 1485, the Wars of the Roses earned its flowery name because the white rose was the badge of the Yorks, and the red rose was the badge of the Lancastrians. After 30 years of political manipulation, horrific carnage and brief periods of peace, the wars ended and a new royal dynasty emerged."
York Pa hosts the dropping of the White Rose - https://www.yorkcity.org/visitor/annual-york-city-events/nye/
Lebanon - Bologna
The NYE Bologna Drop will be held on South Eighth Street, between Chestnut and Cumberland Streets. This year's event is being sponsored by Godshall's Quality Meats, maker of Kutztown and Weaver's Bologna; Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC; City of Lebanon, and Downtown Lebanon-A Main Street Community.
The bologna itself is distributed to a local food bank and animal shelter following the drop.
Liverpool - Canal Boat
Event Appears To Have Been Discontinued some time ago.
Read more about the Liverpool Canal History here - https://www.facebook.com/pg/Liverpool.PA.Pix/photos/?tab=album&album_id=674797719296956
McVeytown - Ice Cream Cake
Harshbargers Malt Shop is one of our favorite places to stop any time we are in the area!
Mechanicsburg - Wrench
Mechanicsburg - Yellow Breeches
Lower Allen Township drops Yellow Breeches in honor of yellow breeches creek. Baby yellow breeches are dropped at 10pm, and the large breeches are dropped at midnight.
Meyerstown - Bayer Aspirin Tablet Drop
McClure- Kettle
The Kettle is a nod to the Bean Soup dinners, started as a reunion for Civil War Soldiers. Read more about the annual Bean Soup Festival here - https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2015/09/mcclure-bean-soup-festival-fair.html
Middletown - Spoctogon
No Longer Held?
"The “sphoctagon" drop in Middletown had become a New Year's Eve tradition over the last nine years, but after declining attendance and budget worries, Middletown officials decided this would be a year to take a break from the event.The “sphoctagon,” as Middletown residents call it — a cross between sphere and octagon — was an invention of a local metal fabricator who was asked to come up with an item for the borough to drop to usher in the new year." https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2010/12/sphoctagon_drop_mothballed_thi.html
New Bloomfield - Huckleberry
The Box Huckleberry plants in Pennsylvania are though to be 13,000 years old - older than California's Sequoias - https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/pennsylvanias-oldest-citizen
Newville - Big Spring
I believe this event has been discontinued. Please let me know if you see information on this still occurring.
The area is known as the Big Spring watershed.
Northumberland - Oxygen Isotope (often called an Atom drop)
Occurs at NOON
This is an event geared towards kids, with the drop, based on the discovery by Joseph Priestly, occurring at noon.
Pittsburgh Pa - Ball of Recycled Materials
Pottsville Pa - Yuengling Bottle
Reamstown Pa - Wobbly Bob on A Barrel
Red Lion - Lion Holding A Cigar
Red Lion use to drop a wooden cut out of a lion holding a huge replica of a cigar over his head. I do not see mention of the drop in this years New Years eve brochure, found here: https://www.redlionpa.org/special-events/424-new-year-s-eve-celebration
Find the history of Red Lion Cigars, and the drop, here:
Seven Valleys - Chicken
At The Valley Tavern
See a video of the drop here - https://youtu.be/nYrcrFsvN5s
Shamokin Pa - Coal
I cannot find information about this years event specifically, but here is an article about the tradition - https://fox56.com/news/local/pa-home-to-some-of-the-most-unique-nye-traditions
Shippensburg - Anchor
https://club.shippensburgrotary.org/page/drop-the-anchor
Sunbury does not actually drop a light bulb - they light it and raise it!
Find the details here - https://www.facebook.com/events/749214892156027/
The light bulb is in recognition of Thomas Edison lighting the first three wire lightbulb on a building in Sunbury Pa. Read more about that here - https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2019/10/when-edison-came-to-our-valley-shamokin.html
Tamaqua - Eagles Rise On The ABC High Rise
https://wnep.com/2019/12/04/new-years-eve-celebration-back-on-in-tamaqua/Cancelled last year for maintainance issues, this event returns for 2019
An article from last years event -
https://fox56.com/news/local/lycoming-county-new-years-eve-tradition-draws-crowds
South Williamsport is home to the Little League World Series
Wolmesldorf - Cigar
2019 event - https://www.facebook.com/events/582046582595503/"In 1840, a young journeyman cigar maker named Adam Valentine strolled into Womelsdorf.
At the tender age of 16, Valentine already had seven years of cigar rolling under his belt. Having learned the trade at the hands of cigar men in Lebanon County, he crossed over to Berks with plans to strike out on his own.
By the time he died in the late 1800s, Valentine owned 17 factories and produced numerous brands of cigars with patriotic names such as the General Greene and Betsy Ross.
His presence in western Berks County spawned an industry that turned Womelsdorf and nearby communities such as Myerstown, Newmanstown and Wernervsille into a cigar-making region.
"At one point, there were 38 cigar makers in this little town," said Earl Ibach, a Womelsdorf historian who chronicled the history of cigar making in his book, "Tulpehocken Cigarama."
Ibach's family manufactured cigars in Newmanstown at the turn of the 20th century."http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=182456
"A symbol of the War of the Roses between Lancaster and York"
"The Wars of the Roses were a series of bloody civil wars for the throne of England between two competing royal families: the House of York and the House of Lancaster, both members of the age-old royal Plantagenet family. Waged between 1455 and 1485, the Wars of the Roses earned its flowery name because the white rose was the badge of the Yorks, and the red rose was the badge of the Lancastrians. After 30 years of political manipulation, horrific carnage and brief periods of peace, the wars ended and a new royal dynasty emerged."
Lancaster drops the red rose - https://visitlancastercity.com/event/nye-in-lancaster-city/
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