As the clock ticked down to the New Year 2016, people began to exit Collier’s On Main, in downtown Brundidge in anticipation the Peanut Drop. A crowd had gathered on Main Street and all eyes were trained on the darkness above Collier’s.

Using the clock at BT&T, the countdown to 2016 began. The mirrored gold Peanut caught the downtown lights on its descent of nearly 50 feet. The crowd cheered, whistles sounded and horns honked at the arrival of a New Year.

Chuck Caraway, Collier’s on Main, said he was pleased with the turnout for the Peanut Drop which was a late addition to the restaurant’s New Year’s celebration.

“Chris Rich was very generous in loaning ‘the Peanut’ to us and we greatly appreciate it,” Caraway said. “The peanut is a part of the history and heritage of Brundidge and, at Collier’s on Main, our interest is in promoting the town’s history and heritage.”

The City of Brundidge was once known as Collier’s Store, thus the name chosen for the downtown restaurant.

Chris Rich designed and constructed the peanut for the New Year’s drop three years ago. The peanut was dropped from the rooftop of Studio 116 on New Year’s Eve for the past two years but was retired when the studio closed.

“I was excited that Chuck wanted to use the peanut and more excited that the tradition of the Peanut Drop would continue,” Rich said. “Sara and I wanted to be there to be a part of all of the fun of New Year’s Eve at Collier’s on Main and, of course, for the Peanut Drop.”

Dixie Shehane, president of the Brundidge Business Association, said New Year’s Eve was a festive night in Brundidge with the fun beginning at Collier’s early in the evening.

“I stood there on Main Street thinking how fortunate we were to be celebrating New Year’s Eve in downtown Brundidge,” Shehane said. “Sure, bigger towns have bigger celebrations but there’s just something special about celebrating the coming of the New Year with people that are your friends and neighbors who were a part of your life in the old year and will be a part of your life in the New Year.”

Shehane said she was excited to be a part of the Peanut Drop.

“In three years, it has become a Brundidge tradition,” she said. “The peanut is part of our heritage and we should honor it, year in and year out.”

Chris Foster said he heard about the Peanut Drop via the grapevine.

“I was excited to hear that it would be back,” Foster said. “I went to the first two Peanut Drops and was disappointed that we weren’t having it this year. Collier’s is a great place for the Peanut Drop.”

Foster said the Peanut Drop is unique to Brundidge.

“Mobile has its Moon Pie Drop and Atlanta has its Peach Drop and we are just as proud of our Peanut Drop,” he said. “Brundidge has a rich history in the peanut industry and the Peanut Drop is a way to honor our history. It has become a New Year’s tradition and I am proud to see it continue.”