Times Square is not the only place that drops something to count down to the new year. A duck decoy, a MoonPie and a pickle are some of the other things that will descend at midnight.
Confetti, champagne, fireworks are some of the staples of a New Year’s Eve celebration. But just as iconic may be the tradition of lowering or raising an object to ring in the new year.
The Times Square ball drop in New York City is among the most famous examples, but the ritual is also preformed around the country with some local flavor: It’s not just with spheres — a duck decoy, a MoonPie and a pickle are all used to hail the end of 2023.
In Havre de Grace, Md., which is northeast of Baltimore, people count down to 2024 by watching a dazzling duck decoy sink down from the sky. The light fixture pays homage to the city’s storied history of fishing and affinity for duck decoys so much so that Havre de Grace calls itself the “Decoy Capital of the World.
