The Possum Drop

The Possum Drop a New Year's Day celebration, in which a possum is lowered from height at midnight. This practice is also referred to as a ‘coon drop’ in some countries. In contrast to other events of its kind, which typically involve replicas, a "possum drop" uses a live animal as its prop.

Clay's Corner, home of the Possum Drop, in Brasstown, N.C.

Brasstown Drop

The Possum Drop began as an annual event in Brasstown, North Carolina at a convenience store called Clay's Corner, and it 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 slowly from the roof of the store in a way that would prevent the occurrence of injury.[2] Though it is referred to as a "possum drop" the animal is not physically "dropped." As with other events of its kind, it is lowered in the same manner as a time ball. The opossums were released afterward.[3]

The festivities included a contest with men dressed as women to compete for the title "Miss Possum Queen" and bluegrass music, snacks, beverages, and souvenir merchandise.[4][5]

The Possum Drop started in 1990 with twenty people, a covered dish supper, jam music, and a ceramic possum lowered in a fish bowl.[6] The next year Logan used a real opossum that had been trapped for the occasion.[4] Hours before the Jan. 1, 2004 Possum Drop People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called Logan and threatened to sue if a live opossum was used, so Logan used roadkill instead. The New York Times reported on the event in 2004.[7]

The event moved to nearby Andrews, North Carolina, for 2018-2019 upon Clay and Judy Logan's retirement. However, one of the opossums there was injured and used with a broken leg that was later amputated. After lawsuits by PETA and appeals to state officials by concerned citizens, the town opted not to continue the Possum Drop and it has not been held since.[8]

Tallapoosa Drop

In Tallapoosa, Georgia, local businessman Danny Welch organizes the annual event. The Possum Drop festivities include food vendors, T-shirts, 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 was George Franco, a Television Personality with Fox 5 News in Atlanta. Attendance in recent years has been in excess of 7000. Shuttle Bus Service is provided to and from local hotels, RV Parks, and designated parking areas. This event differs from the one in Brasstown because the Atlanta event uses a taxidermy possum rather than a live one.

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.[9] Spencer's name is a tribute to Ralph L. Spencer.[10]

The event has grown over the last five years and attracts visitors from all 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.[5][11] 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.[12] North Carolina General Statue 113-274-(c)-(1c) appears to authorize the state wildlife commission to issue such permits.[13]

(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.[11] PETA did not object to using an already dead animal.[14] 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 others from all over the U.S. signed petitions to stop this event from using a live opossum.[15]

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.[14]

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. Horne, Robert (2006). "PETA amazed Possum Drop continues". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C.: Community Newspapers, Inc.
  4. Jeffrey Gettleman (December 31, 2003). "Keep Your Ball. We've Got the Possum". The New York Times.
  5. Mountain Manager & Associates "Welcome to Mountain Manager & Associates, Inc". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  6. Keely, Harrison; Keely, Marcus (2007-08-08). "Eleven questions for Clay Logan". Smoky Mountain Sentinel. Hayesville, N.C.: Sentinel Newspapers. p. 4A.
  7. Gettleman, Jeffrey (2004-01-02). "A New Year's Tradition Lives, But the 4-Legged Star Doesn't". The New York Times. p. A12.
  8. Elassar, Alaa (2019-12-31). "North Carolina town ends New Year's Eve Possum Drop tradition". CNN. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  9. "Meet The Couple Behind A New Year's Eve 'Possum Drop' In Georgia". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  10. RoadsideGeorgia.com http://roadsidegeorgia.com/city/tallapoosa.html
  11. Gettleman, Jeffrey (2004-01-02). "A New Year's Tradition Lives, But the 4-Legged Star Doesn't". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  12. 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.
  13. N.C.G.S 113-274
  14. Jarvis, Craig (December 29, 2014). ‘Possum Drop’ organizer won’t use live opossum this year. Charlotte Observer. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  15. "Controversial possum drop prevails in NC". WTVR. Tribune Broadcasting. January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
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