It's time to celebrate the arrival of a new year! The town of Tallapoosa knows how to celebrate! There will be music...
dancing...
and plenty of party favors too.
Unlike most celebrations though, this one includes a possum.
That's right, a possum.
The Possum Drop is precisely what the name implies. At the stroke of midnight, the town lowers a possum inside a ball covered in Christmas lights to the ground.
Tallapoosa is about an hour west of Atlanta just off I-20 near the Alabama state line.
Why a possum? It actually has to do with the city's history. The town was named Possum Snout before it was incorporated in the 1800's. That's where the idea behind the Possum Drop originated.
"It kind of started out as a joke," Kate Gardner told wsbtv.com. "But now it's grown to one of the biggest events we have." Gardner organized the event several years ago.
Spencer died of natural causes several years ago. When Spencer isn't sliding down the rope for New Years, he can be found at Bud's Taxidermy and Wildlife Museum in Tallapoosa.
"He is not a live possum," Gardner said. "We have a local taxidermist. His name is Bud Jones. He stuffed him several years ago. His name is Spencer. We borrow Spencer from Bud."
Here are some more photos from the Possum Drop New Year's Eve celebration in Tallapoosa, Ga.
Check outthepossumdrop.com for more information about the event.
Here are some more photos from the Possum Drop New Year's Eve celebration in Tallapoosa, Ga.
Here are some more photos from the Possum Drop New Year's Eve celebration in Tallapoosa, Ga.
Here are some more photos from the Possum Drop New Year's Eve celebration in Tallapoosa, Ga.
There was even Christmas ornaments of the Possum Drop.
Here are some more photos from the Possum Drop New Year's Eve celebration in Tallapoosa, Ga.
Here are some more photos from the Possum Drop New Year's Eve celebration in Tallapoosa, Ga.
Here are some more photos from the Possum Drop New Year's Eve celebration in Tallapoosa, Ga.
The Possum Drop is back for another year in Tallapoosa, Ga.
Here are some more photos from the Possum Drop New Year's Eve celebration in Tallapoosa, Ga.
