Merrick Library rings in the new year

It was a less-than-quiet day at the Merrick Library on Dec. 31, as hundreds of families gathered for the Noon Year’s Eve party.

As the clock neared noon, attendants packed the lobby and looked to the skylight. On the second floor, library staff waited with bated breath as attendants eagerly counted down. When the clock struck noon, they released a flurry of colorful balloons, and children reached high to catch them as they fell.

The Noon Year’s Eve party gave kids a chance to channel the end-of-year energy without having to stay up until midnight. In the multipurpose room, carnival games like ring toss, plinko, tin can throwdown and giant bowling entertained scores of children. The gamers were rewarded with noisemakers and party beads after they took their turn. In one corner, giant, gold “2020” balloons were set up for a New Year’s Eve-themed photo booth, and in the children’s room, kids crafted party hats using construction paper, markers and crayons.

— Alyssa Seidman