Gary Seputis, top, and Clint Hornsby, employees of Entertainment Design Group, work on attaching two leaves to the fiberglass and foam Peach in preparation for the 2012 Peach Drop at Underground Atlanta, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, in Atlanta. ( Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)2025-12-30T05:03:16Z Why let New York City have all the fun with its Times Square ball drop on New Years Eve?Dozens of places across the U.S. will ring in 2026 by dropping a quirky assortment of fruits, vegetables, sea creatures and balls of all shapes and sizes.Many have a hometown flair.Theres the giant cheese wedge in Plymouth, Wisconsin, a chile pepper in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a pinecone in Flagstaff, Arizona, and a conch shell in Key West, Florida.Pennsylvania is home to a bonanza of bizarre New Years Eve events the bologna drop in Lebanon, the pickle drop in Dillsburg and the potato chip drop in Lewistown.Its a New Years tradition that goes back to 1907 when a 700-pound (318-kilogram) ball measuring five feet (1.5 meters) in diameter debuted in Times Square. Copycat celebrations have surged coast to coast over the past few decades and around the beginning of the new millennium.Heres a look at some of those events around the nation: Fruity traditions on New Years EveIts said in some cultures that eating fruit on New Years Eve brings luck and wealth. Perhaps thats why many cities mix fruit into their celebrations. Miami has its Big Orange drop, while Sarasota, Florida, features a pineapple. There are cherry drops in Milwaukie, Oregon, and Traverse City, Michigan. Brightly lit grapes plunge from above in Temecula, California. Atlanta this year is replacing its peach drop with a digital drone peach in the sky. Beach balls and flip-flopsIts tough to beat ringing in the year while watching a pair of sparkly flip-flops diving into Folly Beach, South Carolina. In Panama City Beach, Florida, theres an evening-long bash where 15,000 beach balls are dropped above revelers just hours before a giant beach ball descends a tower at midnight. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on MoonPies and a giant PeepWhat could be better than seeing a 600-pound (272 kilograms) MoonPie make a 60-second descent in Mobile, Alabama? How about getting a slice of MoonPie cake at the citys biggest event of the year? Not sweet enough? Check out the 400-pound (181 kilograms) yellow Peep chick that drops into Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Seafood smorgasbordWaterfront cities celebrate the sea on New Years Eve. Brunswick, Georgia, has the shrimp drop, while Easton, Maryland, serves up its annual crab drop. The oyster drop is the main event in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The biggest catch might be in Port Clinton, Ohio, along Lake Erie, home to a 600-pound (272-kilogram) walleye named Wylie. The original papier-mache version debuted 30 years ago and has given way to a menacing fiberglass fish. Potatoes and pierogiesTheres definitely a food theme to these New Years drops. Just outside Chicago, watch out for a 10-foot (3 meters) pierogi in Whiting, Indiana. The Idaho Potato Drop in Boise has been going for more than a decade, and Mt. Olive, North Carolina, celebrates its hometown pickle brand by dropping a glittery green pickle thats close to 6 feet (1.8 meters) long.Possum drop lives onAll of these events are meant to be fun, boost civic pride and attract tourists. But one created such a stir that it ended up in court. Residents in western North Carolina no longer lower a live possum inside a glass box at midnight, calling off the event in 2019 after years of protests and legal challenges. There is still a possum drop in Tallapoosa, Georgia, which was long ago known as Possum Snout. That one, though, stars a stuffed possum named Spencer. JOHN SEEWER Seewer covers state and national news for The Associated Press and is based in Toledo, Ohio. twitter mailto