Overview
- Dozens of U.S. communities plan midnight descents featuring local icons such as cheese wedges, chile peppers, pinecones and conch shells.
- Pennsylvania schedules a dense slate of drops, including Bethlehem’s 400-pound Peep, Dillsburg’s pickle, Lebanon’s 16-foot bologna and Hershey’s Kiss raise.
- Organizers present these celebrations as lighthearted community gatherings that boost civic pride and draw visitors.
- Some traditions have changed after criticism or legal challenges, with western North Carolina ending its live possum drop in 2019 and Tallapoosa, Georgia, using a stuffed possum.
- Cities are updating formats, with Atlanta replacing its peach drop with a digital drone peach alongside standouts like Mobile’s 600-pound MoonPie, Boise’s Idaho Potato and Port Clinton’s 600-pound walleye.