No peach this year, but a possum is still dropping on New Year’s Eve in Georgia

TALLAPOOSA, Ga. — With the exception of 2020, the Tallapoosa “Possum Drop” has been an annual New Year’s event for over 20-years. This year, organizers say, their tradition of lowering a stuffed possum at the stroke of midnight will return in all of its glory.

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Once upon a time, the city of Tallapoosa was called “Possum Snout” by settlers. The name evolved and as the town slowly grew, the name was changed to Tallapoosa in honor of the nearby river.

According to local legend (and the Possum Drop website), the Possum Drop was started by local organizers who declared a stuffed possum found many years before by a local taxidermist as their official mascot.

Over the years, Tallapoosa has grown to be a town of somewhere around 3,000 people. Organizers say the last few times they put their event on, their small little west Georgia town drew upward of 10,000 people.

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If you are keeping track, the stuffed possum goes by the name of Spencer. He was named for Ralph Spencer. a prominent businessman in the Tallapoosa area during the late 1800′s.

The event starts around the time the sun goes down Friday and at 9 p.m Spencer will make his first trip down the pole complete with fireworks for kids who have to go to bed early.

At the stroke of midnight, Spencer will again ring in the New Year, replete with a fireworks celebration for adults who stayed awake to celebrate.

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Organizers say if you can’t make the trip to their little town by the river Friday night, you can watch it happen live on their Facebook page.

Peach Drop canceled amid omicron surge

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