New Year’s Eve: Non-Snooki things that fall from on high (think MoonPie, giant sardine ... )

Snooki’s in, Snooki’s out, Snooki’s in again ... but in New Jersey. Maybe.

That’s pretty much how the news went this month for the diminutive Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi of MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” who supposedly was going to be inside the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square. Except organizers said that was never going to happen. So Snooki will be in a ball drop of her own in Seaside Heights, N.J., according to People magazine. Whatev.

There are plenty of quirkier things than Snooki to drop from on high on New Year’s Eve. Here are my favorites, in no particular order, that might make a great travel destination for next year.

MoonPie over Mobile, Ala.: A 12-foot-tall, 350-pound MoonPie that will drop 34 stories to welcome 2011. A Mardi Gras-style parade at 6:30 p.m., the O’Jays at 11 p.m. and the MoonPie drop at 11:59 p.m. round out the Friday events. And lots of fireworks. Mobile denizens each year eat 4 million MoonPies, the round graham crackers with marshmallow filling covered in chocolate, a news release says. Hey, I believe it. Contact: Mobile’s New Year Celebration

Sardine and maple leaf over Eastport, Maine: You get two countdowns for the price of one (just kidding--both are free) in the easternmost city in the continental United States. The maple leaf drops at 11 p.m. (which is midnight Atlantic time in nearby Canadian islands) and then an 8-foot copper sardine falls at midnight EST. The fun starts 5ish at restaurants in town, according to the event’s website. Contact: Tides Institute & Museum of Art

Pineapple over Honolulu: This will be the first year a 200-pound pineapple drops 10 stories from a hotel for New Year’s Eve. It’s made of “chicken wire, newspaper, and wallpaper paste, the papier-mâché replica of Hawaii’s most popular pineapple variety, the Smooth Cayenne.” Who knew papier-mâché could weigh so much? Contact: Kahala Hotel & Resort

Watermelon over Vincennes, Ind.: The city that’s oldest in state is known for growing ... yes, of course. The Riverfront Pavilion is where an 18-foot, 500-pound watermelon rises, then drops 11 real watermelons that splatter below, the city’s website says. Contact: Vincennes/Knox County Convention and Visitors Bureau