Friday, December 31, 2004

You could get pickled tonight

at the Mt. Olive Pickle Company's annual pickle drop.

Or if that's not your cup of tea, maybe by later tonight you can make it up to Cherokee County for the possum drop. Here is what Randall Williams wrote about it for Salon three years ago.

The Possum drop officially began when a fire engine driving along State Road 64 turned on its sirens and red lights. Mike Logan, [son of Clay Logan, the organizer], followed closely in his red semi. The attendees stood at attention and watched the procession. When the vehicles were directly in front of the gas station, the semi's doors swung open and about six hillbillies--Clay's friends wearing straw hats, Billy Bob fake teeth and overalls--jumped out and ran around crazily.

Then, from out of a small door in the semi, one hillbilly passed something to another. It was a Plexiglas pyramid, about a foot square at its base, adorned with gold tinsel. Inside, an opossum, alive but playing dead, lay surrounded by its own feces.

The crowd parted to let the hillbillies and their opossum through. Camera bulbs flashed as the hillbillies tied the cage to a string dangling beneath the metal Citgo canopy. They attached a glass disco ball to the bottom of the cage and hoisted the whole thing about three feet above the crowd. They tied the connecting string to a nearby post.


Last year's event was different, though. Threatened by PETA with a lawsuit, Clay Logan rolled over. He used roadkill.

What'll it be this year, dead or alive? Looks like you'll have to be there to find out.

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