Mushroom to fall at midnight in Kennett Square

Kennett Square has likely never been mistaken for Times Square. But on New Year's Eve, the two will have one thing in common: a ball drop.

Only in Kennett, that ball will have a stem.

This year, the borough will hoist a 700-pound stainless steel mushroom - a nod to its acres of fungus fields - and then lower it during a midnight countdown.

"Being the mushroom capital of the world, I don't know, why not," said Kathi Lafferty, coordinator of the annual Mushroom Festival, which draws up to 100,000 people to the borough on the weekend after Labor Day each year.

Lafferty said she was enlisted to bring the idea to life by State Rep. John Lawrence. The mushroom drop will be the finale of "Midnight in the Square," an event with music, food and other entertainment.

The event will run from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Broad Street between State Street and Cypress Street. Admission will be a nonperishable food item, or financial donation, for the Kennett Food Cupboard.

The mushroom - which will be more than seven feet wide and eight feet tall - is being sponsored by To-Jo Mushrooms. The company is picking up the $6,000 tab for its construction, Lafferty said.

Bob's Crane Service is donating the crane for the drop. - Tricia L. Nadolny