LANCASTER, Pa. -- People around the world are awaiting the new year.

Many Americans watch the ball drop in Times Square. Residents of Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley have localized that tradition. Many people will brave the low temperatures to watch their communities drop or raise items of their own.

This year, a Lebanon County community is joining the fun. Cleona will drop a 10-pound pretzel (pictured, right) from a tower at the Cleona fire station on New Year's Eve for the borough's 75th anniversary.

In past years, the state's capital of Harrisburg marks the new year by dropping a giant strawberry. This year, as part of a preview for this spring's Cow Parade Harrisburg, the city will drop a cow painted to look like a strawberry. (pictured, left) Bill Dussinger, of Lititz, painted the cow.

Lancaster and York are known as Red Rose City and White Rose City respectively. In Lancaster, the city raises a red rose. York residents watch the drop of a white rose into a giant vase announce the new year.

In Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, a huge M&M will be lowered in Center Square at 7 p.m. The town chose 7 p.m. to mark the new year in its sister city, Letterkenney, Ireland. Elizabethtown is home to an M&M Mars plant.

A summer tradition is revised in a different way in Falmouth, where the community lowers a stuffed goat. The town is known for its day of goat races in the summer.

Manheim, Lancaster County will raise an orb.

In York County, Dillsburg will lower a pickle. Red Lion, which was once the cigar-manufacturing capital of the United States, will raise a cigar. Hanover will discontinue its tradition and will not raise a black rose this year.

In Perry County, New Bloomfield will drop a huckleberry, and Duncannon will drop a sled. Blain will drop a cow made of wood from a silo. In Liverpool, the community will drop a canal boat.

In Dauphin County, Middletown will drop a ball and Hummelstown will drop a lollipop.

Lebanon will drop 6-foot-long bologna at Ninth and Cumberland streets at midnight. The large piece of meat weighs just short of 100 pounds.

Shippensburg, in Cumberland County, will continue the tradition it started last year when it drops an anchor to welcome the new year. Newville will drop a big spring.