Bethlehem, PA Debuts New Giant 200 Pound Peeps® Chick On December 31

Just Born Quality Confections and ArtsQuest Ring in the New Year at the 8th Annual PEEPSFEST® Celebration

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Dec 27, 2016, 08:14 ET

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Dec. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year friends and family gather together on New Year's Eve to celebrate and watch the famous Times Square ball drop, and with every tradition comes a few quirky twists. In Raleigh, N.C. they drop a giant acorn, in Atlanta they drop a giant peach, but the sweetest New Year's Eve drop in the US occurs in Bethlehem, Pa., home of the beloved PEEPS® marshmallow candy brand, where a brand new giant illuminated PEEPS® Chick will be dropped to ring in the New Year.

The PEEPS Chick Rings in the new year at the 7th annual PEEPSFEST, a family friendly celebration held in Bethlehem, PA.

The PEEPS® drop is the highlight of PEEPSFEST®, a 2-day family-friendly festival, which celebrates the fun and excitement of the PEEPS® Brand at the iconic SteelStacks in Bethlehem, PA. Weighing in at 200 pounds and standing tall at four feet and nine inches, the new PEEPS® Chick will make its debut at the festival just in time for the final countdown to the New Year on Dec. 31 at 5:15 p.m.

"The PEEPS® Chick is an iconic symbol that represents the PEEPS® brand, our company and our community," says Matt Pye, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Just Born Quality Confections. "We are excited to unveil the new PEEPS® Chick this year and we look forward to celebrating with fans, some of who travel from all over the country, at PEEPSFEST®!"

Along with the new Chick, this year's PEEPSFEST® also has a few new and exciting events for the entire family to participate in. The PEEPS® Olympics, a free kid friendly sports competition, will sure to be a crowd pleaser, while the expansion of the annual PEEPSFEST® 5K with the introduction of the 'One Mile Loop' will allow novice runners to enjoy a shorter route.

For more information on this annual celebration and ways to get involved with the festivities, visit www.steelstacks.org/peepsfest .

About Just Born Quality Confections:
Just Born Quality Confections is a third-generation family-owned company that has grown into the 9th largest candy company in the U.S. Just Born is the maker of some of America's most beloved and iconic brands – PEEPS®, MIKE AND IKE®, HOT TAMALES® and GOLDENBERG'S® PEANUT CHEWS®. In 1923, the founder, Sam Born, opened a small candy-making and retail store in Brooklyn, New York, where he marketed the freshness of his daily-made candy with a sign that declared, "Just Born." Together with Born's brothers-in-law, Irv and Jack Shaffer, the company thrived in spite of the economic depression of the 1930s and, in 1932, moved its operations to Bethlehem, PA, which is still home to their iconic candy brands. All Just Born candies are proudly made in the U.S.A. For more information, please visit www.justborn.com and see the breadth of candy and high-quality branded items at www.peepsandcompany.com. Follow us: facebook.com/JustBornInc, twitter.com/JustBornInc.