Despite COVID-19, Eastern Shore NYE tradition will go on – 47abc – WMDT

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, an Eastern Shore New Years tradition will still be taking place in Princess Anne. Marshall the Muskrat will be ringing in the new year by diving through the air. But, theres been some changes to accommodate social distancing and COVID-19 safety. This year, rather than closing the street down and having a big public event, were doing a virtual event. Anybody, no matter where you are if you have an internet connection, you can watch the muskrat dive at midnight, said Princess Anne Main Street manager Carrie Samis.

Samis says even with the changes, she wanted to make sure that people could continue to celebrate an Eastern Shore tradition. One of the things that happens every year is this guy makes local news, national news, gets a lot of positive press for Princess Anne. Especially this year with our businesses, local families, and community struggling to meet the challenges of COVID, we are really happy to be able to at least do something fun, said Samis.

Samis says the event typically attracts up to 500 people. This year the exact location is being kept secret to avoid having people gather in large numbers. Samis tells 47ABC that a local man who is a NASA employee has been working for months to design and rig up a new mechanism that will allow Marshall to fly through the air. Marshalls big dive will be paired with a countdown clock and a confetti cannon.

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Despite COVID-19, Eastern Shore NYE tradition will go on - 47abc - WMDT