Possum Drop at Clay's Corner

Happy New Year’s!
You might be a redneck if…you celebrate the new year at the Possum Drop in Clay’s Corner. Yep, in Clay County, NC, they drop a possum – well, actually they lower him in a small cage. We heard that they used to actually drop the possum which, like a cat, always landed on its feet, but then the animal’s rights people got involved. Don’t know if that’s true or not, but it makes for a good story.
This illustrious event takes place in the tiny little town of Brasstown, NC, a spot in the road by the river, just below the John C. Campbell Folk School. A few small shops, selling mostly crafts and antiques, line the side of the road across from the river. The most prominent building is Clay’s Corner, a rundown old gas station and country store. It’s well known for hosting bluegrass pickers every Saturday night, and folks are welcome to come and just listen. Its real claim to fame, of course, is the annual Possum Drop held on New Year’s Eve.
We had to see what it was all about, so we drove over around 11:00 PM, having no idea what to expect. We parked in a field next to the volunteer fire department and walked, in the dark, down the side of the road a fair distance to the store. (Note for next year: Take a flashlight.) The temperature hovered in the upper twenties, so we were bundled up like all the other crazy folks out there. Doug had on his long johns and I had my Cuddle Duds under my pants and heavy knit sweater and two pairs of socks inside my boots. A heavy coat and a scarf wrapped around my lower face and the hat Pris knit for Doug completed the outfit. Only our noses got cold!
We couldn’t really see anything in the dark as we approached, but we could hear a woman singing old-time mountain music over the speakers loud and clear. We just walked toward the sound.
When we arrived at the store, we joined a crowd of several hundred people in front of the makeshift stage. Doug thought there might have been as many as a thousand people, but I think he overestimated, though my ability to judge crowd size is nil. Two large-screen TV’s were mounted up high so you could see all the going’s on, at least when they were working. The speakers were loud and clear enough, but an occasional earsplitting screech caused everyone to c over their ears. The announcer apologized for not getting everything right, but said they had been doing this for fourteen years and hadn’t gotten it right yet.
About twenty feet up in the air was a small cage gilded in red and silver ribbons. The cage was suspended from an arm off of the light pole, on a pulley with a long cable going down to the ground. I looked as hard as I could, but I couldn’t see a possum in that cage. I kept watching for some movement, but if there was a possum in there, it was playing possum!
Some smart entrepreneur in a wagon was selling funnel cakes and another booth had long lines of people waiting to buy coffee and hot chocolate. Other than that , I don’t think there was any drinking going on there. It was truly a family-friendly event.
There were a couple of tall gas heaters near the stage, but the crowd around them was impenetrable. Some people sat up high on a bank above the road, wrapped in blankets, and someone up there had a small fire going. Mostly people just huddled together, their collective breaths hanging above the crowd in the frosty air. The night was clear as a bell, and Orion could be plainly seen in a sky filled with bright stars. The smell of tobacco and wood fire tickled our noses.
Several shop owners took advantage of the crowds and opened for business. Needless to say, they attracted many lookers, who were really just looking for somewhere to get in from the cold. We spent a LONG time in one arts and craft shop which had an impressive variety of paintings, weavings, pottery, and other crafts. Some really talented people, probably from the folk school, had some amazing work there.
About fifteen minutes before midnight, we went back outside to huddle near the stage. A church choir was on stage singing gospel music. Clay’s Corner is run by an old guy named Clay somebody, and he was the master of ceremonies for this auspicious event. After the choir finished, he introduced a lady who led the whole crowd in singing Amazing Grace. Then Clay told some corny preacher jokes and introduced the VIP’s, which included one of our state senators. Next to the stage came a grown man in a full possum costume, which was actually pretty cute.
The event was quite patriotic. A large banner with an eagle and the words “In God We Trust” formed a backdrop for the stage. A moment of silence was held just before midnight in honor of the soldiers who have died overseas and two people from the local community who had died the day before. Then a video of Clay was shown on the big screens, with him sitting in his store and talking about how thankful he is to live here in such a great country.
Finally the big moment arrived. As the crowd counted down from ten, a spotlight shined on the cage and it was slowly lowered to the stage. About halfway down, I finally saw it! There really was a possum in that cage, and he was looking out at the crowd. Wonder what he was thinking? When the cage hit the ground, everyone started hugging and kissing and saying “Happy New Year!” At this point, I expected everyone to quickly start walking back to their cars, but no one moved. Then I found out why. To our surprise, a very impressive fireworks show followed. It went on for quite a while, all of it like the grand finale we always wait for on the Fourth of July. As the fireworks and smoke filled the air,The Battle Hymn of the Republic blared from the loud speakers. That was followed by, believe it or not, DIXIE. I don’t think I’ve heard Dixie played in a public venue since the Dixie Redcoat Band became just the Redcoat Band and announced that they would no longer play the “politically incorrect” song that had been their signature for years. I guess if you live in an area that’s about 100% white, you don’t have to worry about political correctness. There are some Mexicans around, but I reckon they don’t have a dog in that hunt.
At the conclusion of the fireworks, Clay wished everyone a Happy Redneck New Year, and we started the long, cold walk back to the car. People and cars mingled on the dark road, which couldn’t have been very safe. People around here just don’t worry about stuff like that. Soon we found ourselves walking behind a very large guy wearing shorts! I figured any car coming down the road would hit him before it hit us and there would be one less idiot in the world.
We arrived home to find that it was down to 24 degrees. It would be 16 when we woke up this morning. I’m glad we went, though. It was the perfect redneck event to welcome in 2009!