PRINCESS ANNE, Md.- Princess Anne's annual Midnight Muskrat Dive is widely known on Delmarva as a unique way to ring in the new year. Now the event is in the national spotlight after it made CNN's list of "19 Quirky New Year's Events."
Organizers of the Muskrat Dive acknowledge it's an odd event, but they say it's a celebration of Delmarva.
"We have thousands of muskrats that live here and we like to celebrate those things that are kinda specific to Somerset County and the Eastern Shore," Carrie Samis, event organizer.
The Midnight Muskrat Dive comes in at number 10 on CNN's list, which says about it, "The muskrat was trapped for pelts and meat for generations in the Chesapeake Bay region, making it a prime candidate for a New Year's Eve mascot. Marshall Muskrat glides down a zip line in a top hat and cape during Midnight Muskrat Dive."
The event, which will be held on Somerset Avenue in downtown Princess Anne from 9 p.m.-1 a.m., will also feature family-friendly festivities, music, food and beverages.
Neighbors say it's one of their favorite traditions.
"It's a good event, I enjoy coming, we come every year, it's just something different from a lot of the others," says Gladding.
Topping CNN's list of "quirky" New Year's Eve celebrations is an event featuring another furry creature commonly found on Delmarva. But in this case, the animal in question, the possum, is the star of Tallapoosa, Georgia's New Year's Eve event. CNN says of the "Possum Drop": "In this West Georgia town, which was once called "Possum Snout," a stuffed possum is lowered inside a ball festooned with lights from one of Tallapoosa's oldest buildings."
For CNN's full list, click here.
Also click here to check out WBOC's list of New Year's Eve celebrations across Delmarva.
