York County towns drop everything (it seems) for New Year’s

Jessica Schladebeck, 505-5438/@JessDispatch   –   York Dispatch

People all over the world ring in the New Year with a variety of traditions, but not many can say they kick it off with a pickle drop.

The Dillsburg Pickle Drop, now in its 23rd year, will be held at the Citizens Hose Fire Co.’s Community Memorial Hall at 109 S. Baltimore St. The New Year’s Eve festivities will feature a variety of activities for all ages and will include a blood drive running from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday. Those who participate in the drive will receive a free T-shirt.

Family-friendly entertainment — which includes live music, magic shows and Irish dancing — is also scheduled to begin at 4:30 at the fire company. The Dillsburg Area Public Library will also join the party and host a balloon artist and caricaturist at 5 p.m.

The pickle nicknamed Lil’ Dill will be dropped at 7 p.m. —  midnight in Ireland — in celebration of Dillsburg’s Irish founders and to provide an earlier celebration for those who wish to be in bed before midnight. Outdoor entertainment, which will include dancing in the street and vendors offering food treats such as pickle soup and pickles on a stick, is set to begin at 8:30 p.m. on South Baltimore Street.

Fireworks and a final pickle drop are scheduled for midnight in the borough square. For a full list of events, visit Dillsburg’s website.

Dillsburg isn’t the only York County community that does a riff on the classic Times Square ball drop.

York City rings in the New Year with the dropping of a white rose, a nod to its nickname; Red Lion for the 19th year in a row will drop a lion holding a cigar; West York will drop both a bulldog and an oyster; and Hanover will drop the arcade game character Pac-Man.

York City: New Year’s Eve in York City will feature a children’s countdown from 6 to 8 p.m. at Central Market. The event will include complimentary hats and noisemakers for the children in attendance, inflatables, glitter tattoos and face-painting, as well as a balloon drop countdown.

Select Central Market vendors will offer food and beverages, and the dropping of the rose, scheduled for midnight at Continental Square, will be followed by a fireworks display.

Market Street from Beaver to Duke streets and George Street from Philadelphia to King streets will be closed from 11 p.m. on Dec. 31 until approximately 1 a.m. on Jan. 1.

The Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center and the Weary Arts Group will be showing “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

The movie, which will be an interactive experience, is scheduled to begin at 10:08 p.m., with the VIP party kicking off at 8:08 p.m. The VIP package, which costs $35, includes invitations to a pre-show party featuring food, games, a costume contest, a signature drink and a grab bag.

A standard ticket costs $20, and doors will open at 9:28 p.m.

Heidelberg UCC, located on Philadelphia Street, will have its HeidelBean Coffee House, which will feature snacks, table games and music until 10 p.m.

Both Tutoni’s and Mudhook — which will feature its own pint drop — will also host their own New Year’s Eve parties.

For more information on any events going on in York City, visit its website.

Red Lion: The free New Year’s Eve bash in Red Lion will run from 7 p.m. to midnight and will be held at the Red Lion Municipal Office building at 11 E. Broadway.

Red Lion was the cigar-making capitol of the world and produced millions of cigars a month, so the lion with cigar seemed a natural choice for the New Year’s Eve drop.

There will be a variety of family-friendly events across Red Lion, including displays at the Red Lion Area Historical Society, a model train display at the Red Lion Train Station, children’s activities and pizza at Grace Lutheran Church, and fireworks and live music in the square.

For a full schedule of events in Red Lion, visit the borough’s website.

Other events: West York’s New Year’s Eve event, sponsored by York Fish & Oyster Co. and Reliance Fire Hall, will have a Bulldog Drop at 9:30 p.m and an Oyster Drop at midnight in the square at Market Street  and Highland Avenue.

Hanover’s third annual Pac-Man drop will be held at Timeline Arcade on 22 Carlisle St. For $20, participants can get unlimited video gaming from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. There will be live music, snacks and a beer tasting by Hit Point Brewing Co., and the drop as well as fireworks will take place at midnight.

— Reach Jessica Schladebeck at jschladebeck@yorkdispatch.com.