Kids get early taste of New Year’s Eve
Center holds family-friendly celebration
CAMPBELL — If you happen to spend New Year’s Eve in Roclynn Best’s home, expect something much sweeter than explosive.
“I put together a big ball drop,” Best, 28, of Youngstown, said. “I create a makeshift, kid-friendly ball drop.”
How does Best achieve such a yearly and consistently fun feat? She fills what’s akin to a pinata with candy and confetti, then pretends it’s midnight before dropping it from a fishing line and allowing daughters Eris Best, 2, and Artemis Best, 3, to break it open — giving them free rein to the sweet contents inside.
Both girls, who typically are in bed by 7 p.m., got an early, child-friendly taste of New Year’s Eve, courtesy of being among the children and adults who attended Saturday’s Noon Year’s Noon Year’s Eve party at the Community Literacy Workforce and Cultural Center, 436 Struthers-Coitsville Road.
The family-friendly gathering, geared toward children age 2 to 8, featured a countdown to noon to simulate the annual traditional practice of counting down to midnight in New York City’s Times Square to usher in the new year, Renae Ault, supervisor for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County’s Campbell branch, said.
To achieve that feeling and effect, Ault set a timer at 11:58 a.m., then led a countdown to noon before dropping several colorful beach balls from a bag to simulate the famous Times Square ball drop.
Beforehand, children were able to enjoy taking part in a variety of crafts, and they were able to dance to music. In addition, Ault read to them the Laura Numeroff book “If You Give a Pig a Party.”
About 20 children had registered for the event, she added.
Whether Andy Chiarello, 6, and his sister, Ellie Chiarello, 8, of Campbell, are able to stay up to watch the ball drop at midnight Wednesday morning in Times Square, remains to be seen.
What is certain, however, is that regardless of how late the siblings stay awake, they won’t go to bed hungry. That’s because they will have an opportunity to partake of wings and pizza, their mother, Bri Chiarello, said.
No matter how late Eris and Artemis Best stay up, their evening Tuesday promises to be filled with merriment to go along with whatever candy they receive, Roclynn Best said.
“My girls are very, very energetic,” the siblings’ mother said, adding that she came up with the pinata idea online, but “made my own take on it.”