Lewisburg — Celebrating the New Year together can be a challenge for families with small children who find it difficult to stay up until midnight. Truth be told, there are very few family-friendly New Year’s celebrations.
But the Lewisburg Children’s Museum has worked hard over the years to change that, offering creative opportunities for families to make memories while counting down to the New Year together.
The New Year’s Eve event was started by the museum in 2016, before it secured a physical space for operations, according to museum executive director Carla Woodling Desmitt.
“While the event has evolved over the years, it remains a safe and fun way for families to welcome the New Year and get their little friends home in time for bedtime,” she said.
The museum’s annual New Year’s Eve event began as a London-themed evening event. The family celebrated the countdown at midnight in London at 7pm.
“As time went on, staff wanted to give us the opportunity to be home with families for the New Year celebrations, so we looked at alternative times,” said DeSmit.
The result was “noon on New Year’s Eve”.
Each year, LCM seems to add something a little different. This year, you can enjoy a balloon drop at the end of the countdown.
The event is family friendly so the activities are for all ages. Most of the activities are fireworks themed. Families can create fireworks salt paintings, fiber optic canes, festive items such as masks and party poppers, and enjoy dancing his party.
At noon, everyone gathers for a countdown to 2023 and a balloon drop.
Lewisburg’s Janel Zeigler is thrilled to be at this year’s event with her 3-year-old daughter, Zoee. She tried to get her tickets last year, but they were sold out, she said. So this year, she said, she immediately ordered tickets and reserved seats as soon as it was posted.
“This has to do with younger children who can’t get up until midnight on New Year’s Day,” says Zeigler. “It’s a way to show her what her New Year is about.”
Zeiglers has been a member of the Children’s Museum for about two years. Zoee is clearly a fan and exclaims “I love children’s museums!”
Zeigler said he is looking forward to the many activities the museum has to offer.
“I feel like the Children’s Museum hosts good events,” she said. “They always have good groups. The employees are always very interactive with the kids. It’s always a good time.”
This event is recommended for children ages 2 and up. Children over 1 year old require a ticket.
According to DeSmit, the noon New Year’s Eve event is one of the few events the museum offers and requires the full commitment of not only museum staff, but also community volunteers and board members.
“Providing activities and making sure things run smoothly for families is really a collective effort,” she said. did.”
The noon New Year’s Eve event is sponsored by the Jersey Shore State Bank.
Proceeds from this event support the museum’s Count Me In program, which provides discounted admission fees to disadvantaged families in the area.
“The goal is to make the museum accessible to as many families as possible,” says DeSmit. She explained that until this year, her 10% of guests used the count-me-in program to visit the museum. This year, that number is nearly 30% of her number.