what do they do for new year's eve in your hometown?

[piperdbh]

In my hometown, the Business Association decided to have a first-ever New Year's Eve event. Some of the shops stayed open late, there was a two-horse "limousine" carriage taking people for rides, there were musicians in some of the shops performing, and a lot of people chatting with folks whom they don't normally see at midnight on Main Street. In the planning stages of this event, someone suggested that something should be dropped, like the crystal globe in New York. But we're not New York, so a multi-million dollar crystal ball was out of the question. This area was once known for its gold production, and several people are still actively involved in panning and some mining, so the suggestion of dropping a gold nugget was offered. But where do you find a nugget big enough to use? You make one.



The "nugget builders" took two fiberglass well caps, which are made to look like rocks, and drilled holes in them to insert the lights. The two halves were then connected together. The whole assembly was then crane-hoisted 40 feet or so above the street, and a few seconds before midnight it began its descent, touching down at the stroke of 12. The white spots at the bottom of the shot are faces of people who were very busy texting each other.

Since it was a special event, I wore my MacDougall box-pleat and my new hose, along with my 'coon sporran. I got asked "The Question" by a half-drunk woman, and a little girl pointed and said, "Look, he's dressed like a girl!" I then had an opportunity to educate her a little bit. I asked her why she was wearing britches like a boy would wear, and then I realized that she seemed to be mildly mentally handicapped. She acted sort of afraid of my sporran, so since her parents were right beside her, I offered her some peppermint from it, which she refused.



Yes, I know the jacket's a little long for a kilt, but it was chilly tonight and this jacket is pretty warm. The spots on the picture are condensation on the lens from being inside and then taken outside in the cold.

What happened in your town for New Year's Eve? Please post your pics here and tell us what happened.

[Mael Coluim]

This year the city of Fredericksburg switched to the pineapple (a Colonial symbol of hospitality). For years they had used a pear. Fredericksburg had pear trees along the downtown streets. As beautiful as they were in the spring with the flowers, the resulting sap falling on cars parked under them caused many complaints which caused the trees removal.