Mannington, W.Va. (WVDN) — Ring in the New Year with a pepperoni roll in hand at Mannington’s 7th annual Great Pepperoni Roll Drop.
The Great Pepperoni Roll drop will take place from 7 p.m. Dec. 31 to 12:30 a.m. Jan. 1 at Wintergarden Park in Mannington. Hosted by the Buffalo Artist Coalition and Mannington Main Street, the event provides a family-fun atmosphere with games, food trucks, live music and pepperoni rolls.
“It mimics the whole New Year’s Eve ball drop but makes it very much West Virginia with the pepperoni roll,” said Robin Smith of Mannington Main Street. “It’s an iconic event, and it just gets better every year.”
The 250-pound aluminum pepperoni roll will be hoisted in the air by a 100-foot crane. Prior to the drop, pepperoni rolls and bubbles will be given to attendees. As the pepperoni roll drops, the sound of Country Roads fills the air.
“We all rallied around making the drop a pepperoni roll because most everyone in the area grew up with their grandmothers and mothers making them,” said Ben Kolb, owner of Nativibes and Hollered Ground. “It just ties us all together.”
Entertainment for the evening will include the Fridley Boys, former American Idol contestant Cody Clayton Eagle and Cody Wickline of The Voice. Free yard games will be available including Jenga, golf, hatchet throw, Granny Pants, bow and arrow, Connect 4 and adult ring toss.
Food vendors include Rollie Pollie Egg Roll Factory, Sweet P’s, and This and That Bakery. BerTeas, a two minute walk from Wintergarden Park, will be open during the event. Screech Owl beer will be for sale.
The Great Pepperoni Roll Drop is one of the stops on the WV Pepperoni Roll Trail, a digital passport launched in April of this year by the Marion County Convention and Visitors Bureau. To be eligible to enter to win the grand prize, trail participants need to visit the Marion, Harrison and Upshur County bakery locations to be entered in the drawing. To win the cooler filled with West Virginia prizes, the winner must have checked into the Great Pepperoni Roll Drop and be in attendance for the announcement between 10 and 10:30 p.m. Sign up to participate at marioncvb.com/pepperoni-roll-trail.
Parking for the event can be found on public streets and public parking lots.
For more information about the event, contact Kolb at hikerkolb@gmail.com or Smith at rarsmast@aol.com. You can also message Mannington Main Street’s Facebook page with questions.
