Welcome to 2025! To paraphrase Dylan - the best year yet.
We are all probably familiar with the ball drop in Times Square, but there are many local traditions and celebrations to ring in the new year - here are a few of the quirkier ones.
Midnight Muskrat Dive
In Princess Anne, Maryland, the official mascot is none other than a muskrat. To commemorate the new year in a wonderfully weird and wacky way, a stuffed muskrat is sent gliding down a zipline. Oh, and as if that's not enough, the muskrat is wearing a cape and a stovepipe hat!
MoonPie Over Mobile
Over 40,000 people gather in Mobile, Alabama, to see a 600-pound and 12-foot-tall MoonPie drop on New Year's Eve. The kids' events begin at 11 a.m. with their own MoonPie drop at noon, and then things kick off in the evening around 7 p.m. with writing resolutions, having a decorated-umbrella contest and so much more.
Hot Potato Drop
In Boise, Idaho, the evening begins with the world-famous "GlowTato" flying in to take its perch during the Idaho potato rise. Enjoy the snow park and sample delicious food and beverages. You can even snap a picture with "Spuddy Buddy." At midnight, a crane will drop the potato like it's hot!
And while you think this might be in Wisconsin in Port Clinton, Ohio they drop a 20 foot, 600 pound Walleye.
But not to be outdone - Plymouth, Wisconsin drops a giant wedge of cheese. Sponsored by the Plymouth Arts Center, this year was the 18th year of the Sartori Big Cheese Drop. The festival kicked off at 7:30 with music by the String Along Band, complementary Sartori cheese sampling, a bonfire and hot cocoa and a cash bar. The cheese is dropped at 10:00
However you rang in the new year, here's to a great 2025