Kennett Square rings in the new year by dropping a 700-pound sparkling mushroom

From Delco to Chesco and Montco to Bucks, what about life in Philly’s suburbs do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Some revelers drop a sparkling disco ball to ring out the old. Others let fall a giant Peep or Hershey’s kiss when the clock strikes 12.

In Kennett Square, Chester County, residents ring in the new year with the slow descent of a stainless steel, 700-pound shimmering mushroom released from a height of 80 feet.

This year marks the 12th New Year’s Eve celebrated with the Midnight in the Square Mushroom Drop in Kennett Square. It’s a tradition that has become part and parcel of the town’s identity.

“It’s invigorating,” said Kathi Lafferty, coordinator of Midnight in the Square and the Mushroom Drop. “It’s so cool to have people gather, and it’s something we give back to the community.”

The event, which also features live music and a laser show, goes on rain or shine, snow or slush. Depending on the weather, anywhere from 2,000 to 8,000 people gather in the town square at State and Union streets, with thousands more tuning in via Facebook livestream. 

The tradition was born in November 2013, when state Rep. John Lawrence approached Lafferty with the idea. Lafferty, a lifelong Kennett Square resident who organized the town’s Mushroom Festival for 20 years, leapt into action.

Local metal workshop M & P Custom Design constructed the 8-foot-tall, 8-foot-wide mushroom, complete with LED lights. Rich Nichols, owner of Bob’s Crane Service, offered to coordinate the crane operation needed to pull off the drop.

Nichols said when Lafferty first approached he “kind of thought [it] was a silly idea,” and it was a tight turnaround, with just five weeks to go before New Year’s Eve. But he quickly got onboard.

Lafferty said that in the first year, thousands showed up, and the image of the mushroom descending from the skies drew national and international coverage.

“That first morning, it went viral,” she said. “It was all over the world. It was crazy. It was just a crazy, crazy thing that happened. We were just shocked.”

Even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lafferty said, organizers pulled together to make sure the Mushroom Drop went on and spectators could watch from parked cars and via livestream.

The event has even served as the backdrop for at least two marriage proposals, Nichols said.

“It’s heartwarming. It’s a celebration, plus congratulating us for making it for a new year and hoping for the best in the future year,” he said.

The mushroom itself serves as a powerful symbol for the town’s identity and economy, said Nichols, who was born and raised in Kennett Square.

“I think it kind of emotionally attaches us to each other,” he said. “It’s one of our … point[s] of pride, is that you can go to pretty much any state and pick out a mushroom, and you’ll see it’s packaged and grown in Kennett Square. So it’s a matter of pride for us in the area, and it’s unique enough to kind of make us stand out.”

The major mushroom businesses in the area are among the biggest supporters of the drop each year.

“It runs smooth when you have all these people that are excited about it and want it to work,” Lafferty said.

The Mushroom Drop is a free event. Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Kennett Area Community Service.

Last year, Lafferty started holding a 50/50 raffle in the form of mini-mushrooms, released from the big mushroom at 10 p.m. The person whose mushroom lands in a champagne glass below will win half of the $10,000 proceeds from ticket sales.

The celebration will kick off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. More event information can be found online.