By Deby Jo Ferguson
Staff Writer
Clay County celebrates New Year’s Eve in a mostly low-key manner, but that wasn’t always the case. Back in the day, Clay Logan and his infamous Possum Drop drew national attention.
Logan got the idea after returning home from a trip, according to a previous article in the Clay County Progress.
“I was down in Mississippi and bought a can of possum when I worked for the U.S. Forest Service,” Logan said. “I brought it home and had my own labels made up and a diet light label. One day, Jim Carringer’s daughter, Kim, told me I ought to drop the opossum like they drop the ball in New York.”
The rest is history.
The Possum Drop was an annual New Year’s Eve event which started in 1990. The highlight was the lowering of an opossum at midnight.
The event featured the lowering of a live opossum in a Plexiglass cage from the store’s roof. Despite its name suggesting otherwise, the opossum was not physically dropped; rather, it was lowered gradually, akin to the descent of a time ball. The opossum was released unharmed.
Clay and his wife Judy rolled out the welcome mat at Clay’s Corner in Brasstown.
Festivities included a contest with men dressed as women to compete for the title of “Miss Possum Queen.”
Additionally, there were performances of bluegrass music, snacks, refreshments and the opportunity to purchase souvenir merchandise.
Initially the Possum Drop featured a ceramic opossum lowered in a fish bowl.
The following year a live opossum, specifically captured for the occasion, was used. However, ahead of the 2004 Possum Drop, protests from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals led to a modification in practice.
The crowd grew to 2,000 people by 2010 and the event was featured on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
In 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the “Possum Drop Bill” which allowed the WRC to issue live captivity permits for events. PETA sued the WRC in response.
As a reporter for the Progress I have stood among large crowds who gathered at Clay’s Corner for the New Years Eve Possum Drop.
You had to arrive early in order to park within walking distance of the gathering which consisted sometimes of more than 2,000 people. I have some awesome memories of the event and I’d like to share a few.
The Possum Drop was a hit. Folks stood shoulder to shoulder for the festivities but there always seemed to be enough room to make your way inside the store for a warm cup of hot chocolate or hot apple cider.
Once inside the store there were usually several people picking music near the stove in the corner. On some of the colder nights it was the best seat in the house.
Clay and Judy were always on hand to greet guests. Judy could be found working behind the counter in the store as Clay made his way around the crowd talking to everyone he saw. Sometimes it seemed like a huge family reunion because although people came from everywhere there was always someone there you knew and if you didn’t you usually got to know them before the night was over.
I recall the womanless beauty contest made up of maybe six men who put embarrassment behind them and bravely took the stage with hairy legs and chest to vie for the title of “Miss Possum.”
While the crowd gathered several members of the community went out for the blessing of the homes around the area, returning to share their adventure.
Church groups took the stage and sang gospel songs to warm the soul during the evening as the air got crisper and colder.
After the retirement of Clay and Judy, the event moved to nearby Andrews, N.C. for the 2018-2019 edition. However, this relocation was met with some controversy due to an unfortunate incident during the event. The opossum involved sustained an injury. Subsequently, lawsuits by PETA and appeals from concerned citizens ensued and the decision was made to drop the Possum Drop. Since then, the event has not been held.
The event inspired the “Possum Drop Song,” which continues to be performed annually at the John C. Campbell Folk School.
Happy New Year.