New Year's Eve Possum Drop

[AdamSmith]

So Times Square with its hifalutin ball drop has nothing on us down here below the Manson-Nixon line.

Clay's Corner in little old Brasstown, NC...

...has a venerable history of seeing in the new year with a live Possum Drop.

The critter is not simply dangled by the neck on a rope, much less tossed unceremoniously from a rooftop, as anyone familiar with this particular marsupial might think more or less naturally in order.

Instead, it's housed in a ceremonial box, as shown above, which is gently lowered to the ground come midnight.

Animal cruelty? PETA thinks so, and went to court to get the animal back its rights. The NC General Assembly, ever vigilant, responded by carving out an exception to the state's animal protection laws that specifically exempted opossums, in this specific county, at this specific time of year.

PETA, predictably, raised a ruckus again, so this year Clay said he would use either a stuffed possum, or possibly a road-kill victim if one turned up. He did observe that, far from being cruelty, the short time the possum spends in the box is actually the opposite -- being likely the only time in its life that it's safe from being run over by a car.

Anyway, we Tar Heels anxiously await news and photos of what went down, as it were, at Clay's last night.

Meanwhile, coverage of past New Year's Eve goings-on at the fabled joint...

Brasstown Brigade readys themselves on the hill

overlookin Clay's Corner for the blessing

At first we thought it was Rickie Bobbie,

but last years Queen brought in the Possum

and took a few minutes to strut her stuff

Clay adds to the occasion with his infamous jokes

Unfortunately, former contestant Miss Donkey Farm passed on this year,
her final request was to lye in state at the Possum drop.

Once she heard the music, it was a REAL revival

No, she's not levitating boys, those are happy feet!

The Possumtron show 12 minutes to go!

"The Reigning Queen 'Little Miss Brasstown' readies herself before the pageant"
She went on to be a Judge in 2006 & 2007

"Close to Midnight"

Clay gazes at the big screen and
the throngs of people who came to
ring in 2005 at Clay's Corner

Never say we don't know how to throw a good time!

P.S. For this, as everything, there is of course a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sffdocs2

[Suckrates]

We will have to wait for MsAnnie to weigh in on this one since this is her neck of the woods.....

But, I suspect there's something more like THIS being dropped over there at her condo ???

[RA1]

The "news" reports of this event mentioned PETA but failed to mention that the opossum was not really dropped but slowly and carefully lowered to the ground in a secure, safe cage. If only everyone would treat us humans so well.

This reminds me of the turkey drop, now gone, at Yellville, Arkansas where they dropped live turkeys from a second story window. Now I think the drop frozen turkeys which, of course, are a hazard to the spectators.

Can we not continue to observe obscure but updated traditions in rural USA which harm neither animal or human (also an animal)?

We lose our national and regional identity day by day.

Best regards,

RA1

[MsAnn]

The "news" reports of this event mentioned PETA but failed to mention that the opossum was not really dropped but slowly and carefully lowered to the ground in a secure, safe cage. If only everyone would treat us humans so well.

This reminds me of the turkey drop, now gone, at Yellville, Arkansas where they dropped live turkeys from a second story window. Now I think the drop frozen turkeys which, of course, are a hazard to the spectators.

Can we not continue to observe obscure but updated traditions in rural USA which harm neither animal or human (also an animal)?

We lose our national and regional identity day by day.

Best regards,

RA1

I'm with you on this one RA1