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Weird PA: Who Needs a Ball When You Can Drop a 700-Pound Steel Mushroom?

December 21, 2023

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Welcome back to Weird Pennsylvania! If you have people in your life interested in stories about strange-but-true Pennsylvania history, debunked myths, and other odd ephemera regarding the commonwealth, please share this newsletter with them. And if you have ideas for weird Pennsylvania stuff we should cover, reply back and let me know!

Patrick Berkery,

Senior community editor, The Keystone

The Wacky Things That Pennsylvania Drops on New Year’s Eve

[Courtesy of SteelStacks]

And you thought Christmas in Pennsylvania was weird, what with the Belsnickel and the upside down tree. Let’s talk about all the weird stuff Pennsylvania towns drop in celebration of the new year.

For years, larger cities and smaller towns across the commonwealth have been keeping New Year’s Eve weird by putting their own hometown spin on a time-honored tradition. From pickles and bologna, to mushrooms and strawberries, Pennsylvanians drop (or, in Hershey’s case, raise) some of the most unusual items in the country.

Here’s just a sample of some of the many year-end celebrations with a unique hometown twist held throughout the state. Check out this story for more info.

Bethlehem commemorates the beginning of a new year with the dropping of 400-pound yellow Peep. The annual PeepsFest is a two-day event celebrating the marshmallow candies made in the Lehigh Valley. Ring in the new year from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 30 and 31 with the dropping of the Peep taking place at 5:35 p.m. each night.
Gettysburg started a new tradition last year, the raising of Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe hat to countdown to midnight in Lincoln Square. This year, the raising of the hat will take place during a celebration that starts at 4 p.m.
Just before midnight, a giant, lit strawberry starts its descent in Harrisburg. Why a strawberry? It’s in recognition of Harrisburg’s Strawberry Square shopping center. The celebration begins at 9 p.m. this year.
Hershey, aka “The Sweetest Place on Earth,” puckers up for a decadent new year with the raising of a Hershey’s Kiss and a midnight fireworks display every year. The fun starts at 8 p.m. this year in downtown Hershey.
Kennett Square, aka “The Mushroom Capital of the World,” drops a 700-pound stainless steel mushroom at the stroke of midnight as a nod to the town’s acres of fungus farms. The festivities begin at 7:30 p.m.
In Lebanon, a 16-foot cylinder of Lebanon bologna descends from the sky and comes to a stop at the stroke of midnight. It’s then donated to local charities. The bologna will drop again this year with the celebration starting at 7 p.m.
To honor the mechanics that originally settled in the area, Mechanicsburg drops an 85-pound galvanized steel wrench on the eve of the new year. The town celebrates starting at 9 p.m.
Pittsburgh does its own ball drop. The “Future of Pittsburgh” ball is a 1,000-pound orb made of 100% recycled materials. It’s a symbol of Pittsburgh being a green city. The celebration begins at 6 p.m. in the Cultural District.
Shippensburg embraces its nautical town name by dropping an anchor into the new year. This year’s festivities start at 8 p.m.
It’s all about the rose every New Year’s Eve in York as the city drops a white rose to kick off the new year. The rose represents the House of York, which fought a series of bloody civil wars over the throne of England centuries ago. York starts the celebration early, at 5 p.m.

Are there any weird New Year’s Eve celebrations or traditions in your area we should know about? Reply back and let us know!

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Patrick Berkery. The Keystone Newsroom is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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