Instead of watching TV to see the ball drop in New York City on New Year's Eve, Parkesburg-area residents are instead welcome to witness the dropping of a giant inflatable duck as part of the first "Sip, Shop and Duck Drop" being planned by the Parkesburg Action Committee (PAC) and Parkesburg Ducks on Friday, Dec. 31.

Visitors will be able to enjoy shopping on Main Street in Parkesburg, beginning at 9 p.m. and culminating with the duck drop at midnight.

"Christmas on Main (on Dec. 4) brought the community together; it was the biggest one we had," noted PAC member Jennifer Litwin, who own Memories on Main, 322 Main St., Parkesburg, along with her husband, Randy. "We want keep that momentum going of bringing the community together."

Main Street businesses will be open on Dec. 31, and there will be outside vendors as well. Vendors will be asked to pay a registration fee, but the fee will be waived for those who make a food donation to the Octorara Area Food Cupboard. The public is also invited to bring nonperishable food donations to the event. A donation bin will be located in front of Experience Positive Therapy, 226 W. Main St., Parkesburg.

"We will (have representatives from) Parkesburg restaurants in heated tents," Litwin said, noting that the "sip" in the event name refers to free hot chocolate that will be available to visitors.

The inflatable duck will be lit and sent up a pole earlier in the day, similar to the raising of a flag. "Where the town Christmas tree is, we will have the duck that will be dropped at midnight," said Litwin. "We have permission from the landowner to put up a pole. It will be absurdly funny."

The Parkesburg Ducks group, which is also involved in the celebration, is an anonymous group whose members hide small rubber ducks throughout Parkesburg. When a duck is found, people are asked to post a picture on social media and then hide the duck again.

"Nobody knows who they are," Litwin said. "We had them at Christmas on Main and everybody loved hiding (the ducks) and re-hiding them. People are still finding them. (On Dec. 31), they will come with a multitude of ducks that will be hidden around town that day.

"Everyone loves the Parkesburg Ducks, and they have been great in bringing the community together in both big and small ways," she added.

More information about the group is available at http://www.facebook.com/parkesburgducks.

Litwin said that the celebration will be family-friendly and that organizers hope it will become a Parkesburg holiday tradition. "We are hoping to make it an uplifting way to bring in the new year for our town," said Litwin. "It will be a great family event. The whole (plan) is to make it an annual thing that people can come out to."

For more information about the "Sip, Shop and Duck Drop," visit http://www.facebook.com/PAC19365 or email PAC19365@gmail.com.