On Tuesday, Americans will again celebrate the entry of a new year at New York City’s Times Square ball drop.

The annual and festive event will be live broadcast on CNN, ABC, Telemundo, and Univision networks.

However, various Michigan cities and municipalities will offer their unique version of a ball drop.

Houghton will again celebrate New Year’s Eve with a Chook Hat Drop. A massive lite replica of this traditional Yooper fleece hat will drop near the Portage Canal’s Houghton Pier.

In a City of Houghton and Visit Keweenaw media release, the illuminated hat has two drops scheduled. The first drop will occur beginning at 6:30 to 7 p.m. for families with youngsters. With traditional drop set for 11:30 p.m. to midnight.

As the nation’s cherry capital, Traverse City will drop a massive cherry.

On Mackinac Island, they will feature a great turtle drop paying tribute to the island’s heritage, while Sault Ste. Marie conducts a giant anchor drop offering tribute to the famous Soo Locks and the region’s heritage.

NEW YORK CITY’S TIME SQUARE: THE ORIGINAL

New York City’s historic ball drop history goes back to Dec. 31, 1907, when Adolph Ochs, owner of The New York Times replaced the festive evening’s traditional fireworks display. This first ball drop was to promote the newspaper’s new headquarters.

The Welcome to Times Square website notes, “Before it was named Times Square, this area was known as Longacre Square. Longacre Square was largely an area for horse barns and carriage factories. It was sparsely populated, far from the bustling ‘Crossroads of the World’ we know today.”

It added, “The history of a ball dropping to signify passing of time existed long before the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebrations. In fact, the tradition is older than Times Square by at least 70 years!

“The ‘tradition’ seems to have largely begun in England in the early 1830s. Through the various industries using nautical navigation, caught on across the Atlantic in New York. Ships sailing a good distance from shore could see a time-telling ball. Looking at where the ball was in its descent, ships were able to tell the time within the hour. Ship crews could then adjust their chronometers more easily and be better able to track their time while navigating.”

Historical accounts revealed the Times Square ball has been redesigned five times.

There were two times when the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball broke from tradition. In the 1980’s the ball was even redesigned to resemble a big apple, reflecting New York City’s “Big Apple” nickname and the hit “I Love NY” ad campaign

The only years the glowing ball was not dropped were in 1942 and 1943 in observance of wartime blackouts.

Since the mid-1990s during the evening’s preparations, the late John Lennon of the Beatles, 1971 Imagine hit song is performed at Times Square by guest singers and groups. The Times Square crowd always joins in to sing.

OTHER UNIQUE DROPS ACROSS

AMERICA

Forget the traditional Times Square ball drop. Here are other drops across the United States:

∫ Amelia Islands, Florida — a giant shrimp covered with lights

∫ Atlanta, Georgia — a glowing giant peach

∫ Bethlehem, Pennsylvania — a 400-pound Peep Chick marshmallow treat

∫ Boise, Idaho — a glowing giant potato

∫ Eastport, Maine — an eight-foot sardine and giant maple leaf as a tribute to their Canadian neighbors

∫ Eureka Springs, Arkansas — famous for their hot springs, an illuminated water drop will follow a line falling into a water bucket

∫ Las Cruces, New Mexico — a 19-foot chrome green chili pepper adorned with LED lights

∫ Lewes, Delaware — the city based near the Atlantic Ocean will drop a massive anchor

∫ Mobile, Alabama — a 600-pound and glowing MoonPie dessert treat

∫ Nashville, Tennessee — a 400-pound, illuminated music note

∫ New Orleans, Louisiana — paying tribute to the city’s heritage, a giant Fleur-de-lis drop

∫ Panama City Beach, Florida — a giant beach ball

∫ Plymouth, Wisconsin — a giant slice of the city’s famous Sartori’s BellaVitano Gold cheese

∫ Port Clinton, Ohio — a 600-pound, 20-foot, illuminated walleye fish at midnight – in the afternoon a minnow drop is offered for the children

∫ Prescott, Arizona — a glowing six-foot cowboy boot

∫ Raleigh, North Carolina — known as the city of oaks, will drop a ten-foot tall and 1,250-pound steel acorn

∫ Temecula, California — a glowing grape bunch; grapes are a major crop in the region.

∫ Tucson, Arizona — a giant Taco Bell sign

Is Northeast Michigan ready for a 25-foot replica bag of Holcim cement? Or a tribute related to the region’s lumbering era or Great Lakes shipping?

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds for various Michigan newspapers. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the secretary of the Navy. He grew up in Alpena and resides in suburban Detroit.