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The Possum Drop

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The Possum Drop is any one of several New Year's Day celebrations in which a possum is lowered from height at midnight. In contrast to other events of its kind, which typically involve replicas, a "possum drop" uses a live animal as its prop.

Brasstown Drop

In Brasstown, North Carolina, an annual event at Clay's Corner convenience store was organized by proprietors Clay and Judy Logan.[1] At midnight on New Year's Eve, instead of dropping an inanimate object, a plexiglass pyramid containing a live opossum was lowered from the roof of the store.[2] The animal was lowered to prevent the occurrence of injury. The opossum was not actually "dropped;" as with other events of its kind, it is lowered in the same manner as a time ball.

The event organizer moved the event to Andrews, North Carolina for the 2018-2019 event upon Clay and Judy Logan's retirement. After lawsuits by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and appeals to state officials by concerned citizens,[3] the town opted not to continue the Possum Drop for 2020.[4]

The festivities included a contest with local men dressed as women to compete for the title "Miss Possum Queen" as well as bluegrass music, snacks and beverages, and souvenir merchandise.[5][6] These celebrations, along with a rasslin' competition, will continue despite the end of the Possum Drop.[4]

Tallapoosa Drop

In Tallapoosa, Georgia, Local businessman Danny Welch organizes the annual event.[7][8] The Possum Drop festivities include food vendors, T-shirts and souvenirs, live music, and fireworks after midnight. A special Kids Drop with Fireworks is at 9 PM for the children who may not be able to stay up until the midnight drop. The Master of Ceremonies for the December 31, 2019 celebration is Atlanta Television Personality, George Franco with Fox 5 News in Atlanta. Attendance in recent years has been in excess of 7000. With the cancellation of the 2019 Peach Drop in Atlanta, Ga.,[9] crowds are expected to be larger for the 2019 Possum Drop. Shuttle Bus Service is provided to and from local hotels, RV Parks and designated parking areas. This event differs from the one in Brasstown due to the usage of a taxidermied possum rather than a live one. It is humane and no live wild animal is tormented by fireworks.

Spencer the famous possum is suspended in a wire ball wrapped with Christmas lights and is kept at ground level most of the night to allow spectators to see and have pictures taken with him. At about 11:30 PM he is raised to the top of the Cain Law Firm Building and at midnight amidst great fanfare and cheers is slowly lowered to the ground to signify the start of the new year. A living animal is not lowered: Spencer was a real opossum found dead in the wild and was stuffed by local taxidermist Bud Jones.[10] Spencer's name is a tribute to Ralph L. Spencer.[11]

The event has grown over the last five years and attracts visitors from across the country who travel to Tallapoosa to celebrate New Year's Eve. The event has caught the attention of local and national media. The Learning Channel (TLC) chose The Possum Drop in Tallapoosa as the location to film the New Years Special for their series Here comes Honey Boo Boo.

Opposition

Possum drops have been subject to criticism and protest from PETA, an organization that considers the drop a form of animal cruelty.[6][12] PETA successfully sued to stop the 2013 Brasstown possum drop, under the premise that the state wildlife commission did not have the authority to issue the permits for such an event.[13] North Carolina General Statue 113-274-(c)-(1c) appears to authorize the state wildlife commission to issue such permits.[14]

(c) The Wildlife Resources Commission may issue the following permits:

(1b) Captivity Permit. - Authorizes the possession of live wildlife that may lawfully be permitted to be retained alive, in accordance with governing rules of the Wildlife Resources Commission. This permit may not substitute for any required collection license or captivity license, but may be temporarily issued for possession of wild animals or wild birds pending action on a captivity license or following its denial or termination. If this permit is issued for fish to be held indefinitely, the Wildlife Resources Commission may provide for periodic renewals of the permit, at least once each three years, to insure a review of the circumstances and conditions under which fish are kept. Wild animals and wild birds kept temporarily in captivity under this permit must be humanely treated and in accordance with any stipulations in the permit, but the standards of caging and care applicable to species kept under the captivity license do not apply unless specified in the permit. Any substantial deviation from reasonable requirements imposed by rule or administratively under the authority of this section renders the possession of the wildlife unlawful.

In spite of this, the organizers used a dead opossum instead, after deciding they could not afford legal expenses that could result from defying PETA's request as they had originally planned to do.[12] PETA did not object to using an already dead animal.[15] The North Carolina legislature passed a law in 2013 to expressly allow the commission to issue such permits, and the Brasstown event resumed in 2014. Thousands of local residents and from all over the US signed petitions to stop this event using a live opossum.[16]

Brasstown received more national attention for the 2015 New Year Possum Drop when PETA again filed a motion to prevent Clay Logan from obtaining a capture permit; Logan had already decided, due to time concerns, not to obtain a state permit for that year's drop.[15]

References

  1. ^ Clay's Corner - Clay & Judy Logan Proprietors http://www.clayscorner.com
  2. ^ New Year's Eve Lowering of the Opossum http://www.clayscorner.com/new-years-eve.shtml
  3. ^ North Carolina town ends New Year's Eve Possum Drop tradition
  4. ^ a b https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/31/us/north-carolina-opossum-drop-ends-trnd/index.html
  5. ^ JEFFREY GETTLEMAN (December 31, 2003). "Keep Your Ball. We've Got the Possum". The New York Times.
  6. ^ a b Mountain Manager & Associates "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-04-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ The Possum Drop http://www.thepossumdrop.com/
  8. ^ WSBTV.com - Entertainment - Story: Georgia Town Celebrates New Years With Possum Drop http://www.wsbtv.com/entertainment/22103037/detail.html
  9. ^ "Possum Drop may be a peach as Peach Drop plays possum". FOX 5 Atlanta. 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  10. ^ "Meet The Couple Behind A New Year's Eve 'Possum Drop' In Georgia". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  11. ^ RoadsideGeorgia.com http://roadsidegeorgia.com/city/tallapoosa.html
  12. ^ a b A New Year's Tradition Lives, But the 4-Legged Star Doesn't. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E7DF1631F931A35752C0A9629C8B63
  13. ^ Shaffer, Josh (November 13, 2012). "NC judge halts Brasstown's Opossum Drop". Raleigh News-Observer. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  14. ^ N.C.G.S 113-274
  15. ^ a b Jarvis, Craig (December 29, 2014). ‘Possum Drop’ organizer won’t use live opossum this year. Charlotte Observer. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  16. ^ "Controversial possum drop prevails in NC". WTVR. Tribune Broadcasting. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
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