Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Happy New Year!
Did you stay up until midnight and celebrate the ushering in of a new year? Most folks at home probably had their televisions turned to the Times Square coverage of the dropping of the LED lit crystal ball. Who was that masked wonder with Mayor Bloomberg on the concert stage? It was none other than Lady Gaga. Maybe her presence is illustrative of a "over the top" year in education and reforms. You can read some fascinating historical facts about the Times Square Ball here.
I don't know about you, but instead of seeing Lady Gaga, I'd rather see live coverage of other New Year's celebrations around the country that don't involve crystal or huge police efforts to keep citizens safe in revelry. Yes, Virginia, life does exist in other places than New York City, and a "one size fits all" New Year's celebration is about as authentic for those outside of NYC as a "one size fits all" education is appropriate for all the nation's publicly educated students.
Have you ever heard about the following New Year's celebrations? From CBS News in 2011:
In Times Square they drop the ball. And in Key West, Fla., they drop a shoe carrying a live drag queen.
A frozen carp named Lucky descended to the throne in Wisconsin.
At Clay's Corner gas station in Brasstown - sort of the Times Square of North Carolina - they were doing a traditional dropping of the opossum.
Does this sound like a piece of Americana to put on your bucket list? Here is information on last night's festivities. You can probably reserve a room at a nearby motel for Brasstown's 19th Annual Possum Drop next year.
Treat yourself to the accompanying video and watch how Baptist church choir members, a tuba player, military veterans, gun shooters and cross dressers in Brasstown, North Carolina can welcome the New Year with goodwill toward one another during the Possum Drop festivities. The possum actually may not be as scary looking as Lady Gaga.
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