Town plays possum for New Year

Houston Chronicle ^ | Dec 30 2003 | Jeffrey Gettleman

[DeepDish]

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN New York Times

BRASSTOWN, N.C. -- The lights are strung, the stage is set and Baby New Year is waiting in a cage, hissing.

Brasstown, once again, is ready for the Possum Drop.

Yes, the annual New Year's Eve Possum Drop, the one and only, inspired by the dropping of a certain illuminated ball 670 miles away.

At the stroke of midnight, at the exact same moment that hundreds of thousands of people holler in the New Year at Times Square in New York, and millions more tip back champagne flutes and watch it on television, a few hundred people will huddle together at a Citgo station in this little town in Appalachia, wearing hunting jackets and those hats with the dangly ear straps, cheering the descent of one confused marsupial.

[DeepDish]

Found this in the Houston paper but the story originated in the New York Times.

I do not know if this qualifies as a just dang or a laugh. But it is a good late night snicker. A lo-cal internet Snickers for your enjoment so to speak.

[Luke Skyfreeper]

What I want to know is, why can't we get this televised???

[DeepDish]

I do not know. It would be better than watching the drunks in Times Square, at least for this year.

[tal hajus]

Who get to be the Possum Queen? Granny or Mrs. Drysdale?