Skip to main content
NC DNCR logo NC DNCR

Topical Navigation

  • Home
  • Places to Go
  • Things to Do
    Things to Do
    • Field Trips, Group Visits & CAVS
    • Archives
    • Aquariums
    • Libraries
    • Museums
    • State Parks
    • State Historic Sites
    • North Carolina Symphony
    • Zoo
    • Events and Programs
    • Trips/Travel Ideas
    • Sightseeing Tours in North Carolina
    • African American Experience
    • America 250 NC
  • Things to Know
    Things to Know
    • Artist Opportunities
    • Traveling Exhibits
    • Conservation Assistance
    • Digital Collections & Online Exhibits
    • Family History & Genealogy
    • Mapping Resources
    • Publications
    • Records Management
    • Search Our Collections
    • American Indian Programs and Resources
    • Blogs
    • Grants Opportunities
    • Moonshine and Motorsports Trail
    • NCCulture Kids Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Advisory Council on Film, Television, and Digital Streaming
  • News
    News
    • Contacts for the Press
    • Press Releases
    • DNCR Marketing & Communications Team
    • Legislative Reports
  • About
    About
    • Arts
    • History
    • Libraries
    • Nature
    • Support Us
    • Employment
    • Special Programs
    • DNCR Strategic Plan 2021 - 2023
    • Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion
    • Featured Programs
    • Leadership
  • NCLearn
  • Contact Us
  • NC.GOV
  • AGENCIES
  • JOBS
  • SERVICES
NC DNCR »   Home »   blog

New Years and the Lowly Opossum

December 31, 2016

The 2010 Possum Drop in Brasstown. Image from Charles “Stretch” Ledford and the News & Observer.On December 31, 1990, Brasstown residents began their tradition of the “Possum Drop” when Clay Logan dropped a ceramic possum from the roof of his convenience store.

The tradition began because local human inhabitants call the Clay County village the “Opossum Capital of the World.” While this claim may be difficult to prove, the town has become known internationally from news coverage of its offbeat approach to ringing in the New Year.

The first event was small, but it quickly became a community affair with the use of live specimens of North Carolina’s official State Marsupial. Today the bash is billed as a family event, with music and a Miss Possum drag queen contest.

In recent years, the use of living creatures has come under criticism from animal rights activists, resulting in the drop of a road kill possum one year and of a box covered with possum pictures in 2013. Controversy surrounding the event has involved lawsuits by the activist group PETA and the passage of a 2013 state law allowing for lawful capture and release of the creature, presumably to support possum drop activities.

After an additional legal challenge by PETA, the 2014 General Assembly passed H.B. 1131 allowing opossum trapping only in Clay County each year from December 26 to 31.

For more about North Carolina’s history, arts and culture, visit Cultural Resources online. To receive these updates automatically each day subscribe by email using the box on the right and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Related Articles

  • Spring 2022 Music Festival Preview
  • Celebrate Black History Month in NC
  • Tales from the Road with Doug MacMillan of The Connells
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Keenan Jenkins of XOXOK
  • Artist Feature: Charles Chace of Speed Stick
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Tumbao's Diego Avilez
  • Behind the Boards: Highlighting North Carolina Hip-Hop Producers
  • "Scatter and Gather" with Shay Martin Lovette
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Charlie Smarts
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Lakota John
  • WWNC, Citizen Vinyl, and a Building's Legacy
  • Bringing Back the Funk
  • Stray Local Explores Solitude
  • Rissi Palmer and Color Me Country Artist Fund Provides "Postcards from God"
  • Tracks Music Library Builds a Musical Ecosystem

Share this page:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

How can we make this page better for you?

Back to top

Contact Information

North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

109 E. Jones Street
Mail Service Center 4601

Raleigh, NC 27601
 

(919) 814-6800

Recent Tweets

Tweets by@ncculture

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Flickr
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Employee Directory
  • Translation Disclaimer
  • TRAVEL POLICY
  • Accessibility
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Open Budget
NC DNCR
https://www.ncdcr.gov/blog/2014/12/31/new-years-and-the-lowly-opossum