The tradition is actually related to the heritage of this town of Red Lion, PA. The town itself is named after a pub that George Washington supposedly stopped in during his travels. Apparently, at one time in history, Red Lion was considered, or at least called themselves, the Cigar Capital of the World. Cigars were big business here and it made the town one of the wealthiest per capita towns in the United States. One of the locals told me the all the farmers and most residents rolled cigars to make extra money. This was all prior to tobacco being imported from South America. Red Lion is no longer a cigar capital or a wealthy area in general, but the tradition of dropping the cigar on New Years lives on.
