Brunswick cancels New Year's Eve shrimp-drop

BRUNSWICK - The city of Brunswick on Gerogia&#39;s coast has canceled its annual big-shrimp drop to welcome in the New Year. <br> <br> Officials say they want to focus on a Christmas parade. <br> <br> The New Year&#39;s Eve countdown drop of a nine-foot papier mache shrimp into a giant glass of cocktail sauce has been the highlight of Brunswick&#39;s family-friendly Party in the Park since 1996. <br> <br> But when the party&#39;s organizer, the Downtown Development Authority, asked downtown merchants to choose between the shrimp and the Christmas parade, they chose the parade. <br> <br> The authority&#39;s executive director -- Byran Thompson -- says the New Year&#39;s Eve event wasn&#39;t working in terms of cost. <br> <br> The festival cost about $12,000 last year. <br> <br> The outdoor festival&#39;s success also depended on the weather. On cold New Year&#39;s Eves, few people would attend. <br> <br> The caricature shrimp is in storage, where it likely will stay until the annual Seafood Festival in May.

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