While lots of folks will watch the traditional ball drop in New York’s Times Square tonight to ring in the new year, Pennsylvanians will have the chance to watch some unique twists on the tradition.
Here are a few examples:
Pittsburgh
The city will host its annual Highmark First Night Pittsburgh event. The six hour celebration leads up to the city’s traditional ball countdown to the New Year, but Pittsburgh’s ball goes up, not down. The 1,000 pound ball’s frame is crafted from recycled steel and aluminum, while over 1,000 energy-efficient LEDs make up 64 billion color combinations.
The ball’s construction is a nod to the city’s dedication to sustainability, which has been recognized with numerous awards over the years, and its history of steel and aluminum production.
Harrisburg
The state capital will hold its traditional strawberry drop. According to WGAL, the city hosted its first public New Year’s Eve event in 1989, and the strawberry has been a part of the festivities since then.
While the city isn’t known for strawberries, the drop is in recognition of the Strawberry Square shopping center, where festivities are held.
Hershey
The chocolate capital of Pennsylvania, Hershey in Dauphin County hosts the annual Hershey Kiss raise, in recognition of the chocolate and Pennsylvania staple.
According to the Hershey website, raising the more than seven-foot-tall, 300 pound kiss statue has been a community tradition since 2005.
“At the stroke of midnight, many communities lower a symbol related to their town, but in Hershey, we lift a Hershey’s Kiss, a nod to the town that chocolate built,” the website states.
Gettysburg
Another notable celebration is Gettysburg’s annual Abraham Lincoln Hat raise.
The Gettysburg Connection reports the raising of the eight-foot replica stovepipe hat began in 2022 and quickly became a town favorite. The tradition began as recognition for the past president and his affiliation with the town, the site of a pivotal Civil War battle and Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address.
Gettysburg Connection reported Lincoln began wearing stovepipe hats early in his political career to help him stand out in crowds at campaign events. After his assassination, the hat remained a popular symbol of Lincoln.
Lebanon City
Each year the city hosts a bologna drop. The product was developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch community in Lebanon County, who perfected a unique slow-cured and smoked sausage-making technique
According to LebTown, the idea for a Bologna Drop was first formally suggested by Palmyra Councilman Rick White in August of 1997.
The news outlet called the meat product a regional delicacy and the idea was originally suggested in the 90s by residents writing into a local radio show.
Dillsburg
Even before the famous bologna drop, there was the pickle drop in Dillsburg.
According to the York Dispatch, the town has no association with pickles beyond the surname association between founder Matthew Dill and a dill pickle. The town began the tradition in 1992 and used to drop the pickle at 7 p.m. — midnight in Ireland — in celebration of Dillsburg’s Irish founders.
York City, Lancaster
York City drops a rose each year as a nod to the city’s nickname, White Rose City, while nearby Lancaster drops a red rose in honor of the city’s nickname, Red Rose City.
In a summarized history, Lancaster and York City garnered their nicknames from the “War of Roses,” a 19th century romanticized name for a series of civil wars fought in England from 1455 to 1487 over control of the throne.
While the two cities here were created centuries later and had nothing to do with the battles, they adopted the nicknames of the parties who fought in the United Kingdom. Lancastrians wore a badge with a red rose, and Yorkists wore a badge with a white rose.
Hanover
While the famous arcade game Pac-Man wasn’t invented anywhere near central Pennsylvania, Timeline Arcade in downtown Hanover drops a three-foot Pac-Man, a tradition initiated by the arcade owner, Brandon Spencer, in 2013.
He told the Evening Sun in 2016 he hadn’t had a unique New Year’s Eve drop in mind when starting the now annual tradition. Spencer said he just thought Pac-Man would be appropriate for the arcade.
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Chambersburg
Downtown Chambersburg hosts a potato roll drop each New Year’s Eve in an event sponsored by Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls and Bread, creators of potato rolls named after the company.
The bakery is a family owned and operated, headquartered in Chambersburg.
The potato roll drop has become a beloved tradition of Chambersburg, attracting visitors from across Franklin County, reports Franklin County Free Press.
And those are just a few of the unique items that will be dropped or raised to usher in the new year in Pennsylvania.
Others include Shippensburg dropping an anchor, Kenneth Square dropping a mushroom, Bethlehem dropping a 400-pound Peep Marshmallow statue, Lower Allen Township dropping a five-foot-pair of yellow pants and Mechanicsburg dropping a giant wrench.