Where to find a New Year's Eve family fun

BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) - If you are looking for a New Year's Eve Ball Drop somewhere in western New York  - check out our list of local celebrations and some of the more unusual ones around the country.

 

BUFFALO

The Buffalo Ball Drop and fireworks with Caitlin Koch and the Jamie Moses Band – Washington Street at the Electric Tower. Entertainment starts at 10:30p.m.

First Night – family entertainment  5-10p.m. at the Buffalo Convention Center.  Dozens of entertainers including Terry Buchwald, Bubblemania featuring life-size bubbles, acrobatics courtesy of the Red Trouser show.  Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the event.

HAMBURG

ROCK THE ROUNDABOUT The third annual “Rock the Roundabout will include the newly-added Dennis George Quiz Master Game Show, a second band and several new food vendors, said Mary Lou Moses, who coordinates the event every year. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

NIAGARA FALLS

Hard Rock Guitar Drop and Fireworks from the Giacomo Hotel at the stroke of Midnight.  Free outdoor concert starting at 8p.m. by Everclear with special guests EVE 6 and The Albrights.

THE TONAWANDAS

New Year’s on the Canal -  Gateway Harbor Ball drop – a 5ft. lighted ball will be dropped at Webster and Sweeney Streets at Midnight.  Music provided by High Horse in heated tent from 9p.m. to 1a.m.  Family events including Merchants Scavenger hunt start at 6p.m.  For the over 21 crowd a Pub Crawl that includes historic sites.

LEROY

A fireworks show over Oatka Creek will culminate the fifth annual First Night in Le Roy,6 to 9 p.m. Monday along Main Street in the village.The event includeS an Inflatable Bounce House for the youngsters from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Le Roy Firehall. The Oatka Chimers will perform from 6 to 6:45 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church.

PERRY

The 2012 Last Night Perry returns with another program of family-oriented New Year’s Eve entertainment starts at 5pm at the Perry Elementary School, 50 Olin St. Entertainment includes: Las Vegas Comey Hypnotist Steve Daly, The Nimals, puppets recently seen at Artpark and Avenue Q, Angela Sheik, electro-acoustic musician and much more.

FIRST NIGHT BRADFORD

Entertainment includes Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, Marty's Bubblegum Machine. Children's Bounce Carnival and much more.

 

They are dropping more than just Waterford Crystal Balls in other parts of the country. Here’s an eye-popping list of some of the more unusual ones:

The Droppin’ of the Carp – Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

In Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, the carp master, from The Droppin’ of the Carp, ceremoniously lowers Lucky, a frozen 25 - 30 lbs. carp recently caught in the Mississippi River, 110-feet into a wooden cradle during a countdown to midnight.  Attended by more than 2,500 people, residents are encouraged to kiss the carp for good luck.  The Droppin’ of the Carp also includes three hours of live family-friendly entertainment, a bon fire, music, and fireworks.  After the carp drops, attendees recite the “Pledge of Allegiance” and a sing along to “God Bless America.”

 

Midnight Muskrat Dive – Princess Anne, Maryland

Attendees wait in anticipation of the New Year with four hours live music from local musicians and food and drinks provided by local vendors.  Prior to the big show, guests can meet and greet its star Marshall P. Muskrat, a stuffed muskrat, which represents the local history of muskrat hunting in Maryland.  As the evening approaches midnight, Marshall P. Muskrat is raised above Somerset Avenue in downtown Princess Anne and is lowered into the crowds as guests countdown to the New Year, and a local musician plays Auld Lang Syne on the Highland Bag Pipes. 

 

Pine Cone Drop – Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff will ring in the New Year at the Weatherford Hotel with its traditional Pine Cone Drop featuring an 8-foot tall by 4-feet wide pine cone made out of gold and silver aluminum and lit from top to bottom. The tradition first started in 1999 to celebrate hotel’s 100th anniversary and has grown to attract a record crowd of nearly 8,000.  Music, fireworks and family fun are all part of the night’s celebration that starts at 10 p.m. with the giant pine cone’s first drop of the night for families and again at midnight, which is followed by fireworks.

 

Meteor Drop – Wetumpka, Alabama

For more than 20 years, this southern river city has welcomed in the New Year with a blast from the past.  Wetumpka is home to a six mile crater that was created by a large asteroid that crashed 85 million years ago.  The event features a mock asteroid with a fiery trail blasting into the plaza in front of the courthouse.  The asteroid is dropped at 11 p.m. and is followed by a fireworks show at the stroke of midnight.

 

Duck Drop – Havre de Grace, Maryland

All but one duck migrates south for the winter in Maryland as Havre de Grace uses its traditional 15-feet long, brightly lit duck to countdown to the New Year.  This year in honor of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the city has decided