Every year, Lebanon ushers in the New Year by dropping a giant bologna that hits the ground at the strike of midnight. Tonight, the tradition will continue for the 24th year.

The event will take place on S. Eighth St. between Chestnut and Cumberland Streets, with setup beginning at 3 p.m.

Starting at noon, Eighth St. will be closed from Cumberland to Chestnut and Walton St. will be closed from Gannon to Liberty. No parking will be available on Eighth and Walton Streets.

From 3-6:30 p.m., the 20-pound bologna will be displayed for the public, attached to a disco ball unit. The 35-pound unit, donated and designed by E&E Metal Fab, includes 32 LED lights.

The disco ball and attached structure. Made of stainless steel, four sides are marked with the Lebanon map symbol. The outside structure spins separately from the inside disco ball.

“When I designed the unit I wanted to make sure it was spectacular for Lebanon’s New Year Eve event,” said Willie Erb, CEO of E&E Metal Fab.

The new disco ball structure “will be able to be used for years to come,” according to Downtown Lebanon Main Street Manager Amy Kopecky.

The 20-pound bologna—a significantly lighter load than past years’, which have reached 150 pounds—was provided by Godshall’s Quality Meats, which has provided the bologna since the first event ringing in 1998.

Read More: The history of Lebanon’s Bologna Drop

This year, the bologna will be dropped twice: once at midnight, and once for a mini-drop at 7 p.m. According to Kopecky, this mini-drop is meant to encourage children to attend the celebration.

The bologna will be raised for the mini-drop at 6:30 p.m. Later, it will be raised for the New Year’s drop at 10 p.m. At this time, DJ Rich will resume providing music for the event.

Leading up to the drop, the Salvation Army will provide hot drinks to people in the crowd.

Also, viewing parties will be held in the Worrilow Room at Red Headed League and in the Scott Church open house.

This year, the approach of 2020 will be accompanied with a new countdown clock leading up to the bologna’s drop.

To get ready for this year’s drop, check out these photos from previous years, provided by Kopecky.

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Emily Bixler was born and raised in Lebanon and now reports on local government. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano and going for hikes.

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