Dogwood flower blooms over Fayetteville for New Year
A dogwood flower bloomed over Fayetteville at midnight, sending cascades of balloons over the Festival Park crowd to ring in 2011.
Posted — UpdatedThe Fayetteville celebration is in its second year and organizers hoped the unseasonably warm weather would help draw an even bigger crowd than the 5,000 who showed up last year.
Music, food and beverages were available when the event started at 7 p.m. Around 8:30 p.m., a countdown for the children kicked off a fireworks display.
Those who stayed awake until midnight enjoyed the raising of a dogwood flower, which bloomed as it rose, unleashing balloons on the crowd.
Other cities in North Carolina mimicked the world-famous Times Square ball drop by dropping their own unique memorabilia. In Raleigh, a giant acorn dropped during the First Night celebration downtown.
In Eastover in Cumberland County, New Years' party-goers watched a 3-foot, 30-pound flea descend from the sky.
A giant lighted beach ball dropped in Kure Beach at midnight, while people gather in Brasstown in Clay County for the annual lowering of a possum.
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