The free New Year’s Eve event – while aimed at the youngest library patrons – was an opportunity for families to celebrate together.
Children in the townshp celebrated the new year 12 hours early on Dec. 31, with a Noon Year’s Eve event at the library.
It marked youth services librarian Katie Helf’s first year hosting and organizing the party.
“The whole idea is just to give the kids a chance to celebrate the New Year in a relatively healthy way, because they’re not staying up past their bedtime or getting off their routine,” she explained.
Held in the library’s lower conference center, the party featured music to dance to and colorful lights for a festive mood. A photo station was set up for families, who were invited to celebrate with their children. Several inflatable pink balls got kids bouncing, throwing – and laying.
Helf led the children and their parents in games of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and freeze dancing, engaging participants in interactive games.
“We had a lot of fun just playing, so that was good,” Helf noted. “And the dancing and the kids were funny, with all the different stuff they were doing, throughout the whole event.”
As noon approached, Helf showed a video of dancing animated animals and a child announcer who led the New Year countdown of 10 seconds, with library participants calling out the numbers in unison.
The free event – while aimed at the youngest library patrons – also included some parents, older siblings and even grandparents on hand.
“It’s wholesome,” Helf observed. “It’s for the whole family. It’s fun, and it’s short, too. It’s not like you’re here for hours, you’re here for half an hour, a good family outing right before lunch.”
