I recently started another blog called NewYearsDrop.com where I follow what kinds of things drop, and this year I was lucky enough to attend 2 drop celebrations in one night. First I drove the hour and a half to Mt Olive for the Pickle Drop.
When I stepped out of the car, there was a smell of brine in the air. I had arranged to meet and interview Lynn Williams, Community Relations Representative of the Mt Olive Pickle Company. We did the interview in the gift shop because it was too windy outside. Every time someone opened the door, a loud doorbell rang, which you can hear in the background. I held a giant pickle in my hand during the whole interview. We referred to it several times, but completely accepted that I was holding a three and half foot pickle.
The drop itself was a lot of fun. It certainly had a small town feel and it started at 7:00. After the pickle dropped, balloons were released and the crowd sang Auld Lang Sync accompanied by bagpipes. Then a flag rose up the pole and the crowd sang God Bless America. Once the event was over, they raised the pickle just over the edge of the pickle barrel for pictures, like the one above. Here’s a link to more photos from Flickr.
I left Mt Olive and drove back to Raleigh for the First Night celebration and the Acorn Drop. Since it was such a cold night people were inside many of the music venues. The Smithereens began playing around 10:15 and played until nearly 12:00. The crowd was not that into it, because the band was big about 20 years ago. That was the last time I saw them. The crowd was very excited when the Acorn went up, and they were more excited when it came down. It marked the beginning of 2009. And my 2nd New Year. Here are some photos from Raleigh on Flickr.
