Lebanon mayor says PETA’s call for vegan NYE bologna drop is baloney
LEBANON, Pa. (WHTM) — No.
That’s the short version of Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capellos response to the animal-rights organization PETA’s call to replace “dangling slaughtered cow parts from a disco ball” — PETA’s characterization of the city’s annual New Year’s Eve bologna drop — with a vegan bologna “everyone can feel good about.”
The slightly longer, more diplomatic version?
“I thank PETA for their concern about the ethical treatment of animals,” Capello wrote Friday. “Most of the people I know share many of these concerns and have no desire to cause unnecessary pain or suffering of any animal.”
“However,” she continued, “with that being said, Lebanon City recognizes that Lebanon bologna was developed by resourceful PA Germans, also referred to as the Pennsylvania Dutch, prior to the 1780s.”
They made a living on butchering, curing and sausage-making skills, Capello wrote.
“Bologna-making is a part of our Lebanon heritage, and we proudly stand by the tradition of dropping a bologna on New Year’s Eve as a way to celebrate our heritage, as we have done for the past 27 years.”
Capello said after the annual drop, the city donate’s the bologna to a shelter to feed hungry people.
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