WAMU 88.5 : News

Filed Under:

Stuffed Muskrat Stars In Maryland Town's New Year's Tradition

By: Jeanine Herbst // December 30, 2012
Play associated audio
comments
No real muskrats will be harmed in the New Year's ceremony, we are told.
Larry Meade: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34323709@N07/3747871876/
No real muskrats will be harmed in the New Year's ceremony, we are told.

A Maryland town that began a tradition last year of marking the new year by dropping a stuffed muskrat, not a ball, says the creature has a new outfit for this year's party plunge.

Marshall P. Muskrat will ring in the new year in downtown Princess Anne, Md., wearing a new cape, top hat and cane. Last year was the first year officials lowered the stuffed muskrat from the top of a ladder truck as part of celebrations.

Muskrats inhabit local marshes near the town, so officials decided it would be an appropriate animal for the job. The hardest part was finding one. Officials were finally able to borrow the mounted and preserved muskrat from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Last year's event drew about 300 people.

Arts & Culture

NPR

A Read Down Memory Lane: Lessons From Your Former Self

Writings from childhood — cards, stories and other notes — can hide for decades, like time capsules tucked away in boxes, old bedrooms, attics and journals. Writer Jim Sollisch talks about how old thank you notes from his youth foreshadowed his adult life.

Food

NPR

Inside A Tart Cherry Revival: 'Somebody Needs To Do This!'

The revival is partly based on the humble sour fruit's growing reputation as a superfood. And in Michigan, a scientist is on a quest to introduce a whole new world of hardier, tastier tart cherries by breeding American trees with ancestral varieties from Eastern Europe.

Politics

NPR

Srinivasan's Confirmation First For D.C. Circuit In 7 Years

The partisan war over judicial nominees has accelerated in recent years. It took nearly a year to win Senate confirmation for Sri Srinivasan to the important federal appeals court for the District of Columbia, though he had no formal opposition.

Technology

NPR

3-D Printer Makes Life-Saving Splint For Baby Boy's Airway

A 3-D printer is being credited with helping to save an Ohio baby's life, after doctors "printed" a tube to support a weak airway that caused him to stop breathing. The innovative procedure has allowed Kaiba Gionfriddo, of Youngstown, Ohio, to stay off a ventilator for more than a year.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.