Uniondale kids got to ring in the new year a few days early at the Uniondale library during their “Noon Year’s Eve” celebration. Instead of waiting to stay up until 12 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, they celebrated with their own daytime countdown to 12 p.m. on Dec. 26.
Families came with their young children to the children’s department at the library, where they gathered in the large play area between the stacks. Kids colored their own new year’s hats and coloring sheets, and they played with each other as librarians prepared for the countdown.
When the clock hit 11:59 a.m., everyone sat under a canopy filled with balloons. They counted down together with 10 seconds left, and at 12 p.m., the librarians released the canopy of balloons and tossed confetti around while shouts of “Happy New Year!” echoed throughout the room.
Kids screamed and cheered with joy as balloons and confetti rained down on them. They hit balloons back and forth to each other in the air and sprinkled confetti on each other.
James Grzybowski, children’s librarian, said they have been having this New Year’s celebration for the past few years since he joined the Uniondale library staff, and he, along with the other children’s librarians, plan and run it each year. He and the other librarians expressed how much they enjoy this program.
“A lot of the kids can’t stay up until midnight, and we want to celebrate the new year with our little ones,” he said. “We hope everyone comes each year because it’s a lot of fun.”