Kids get early start on New Year at Vernon Area Library

Children danced around and counted down Tuesday as they got an early start on marking the arrival of 2015 during the New Year's Noon Celebration event at Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire.

Almost 100 children and their parents and caregivers celebrated New Year's Eve a day early by making party hats and water bottle noisemakers, taking pictures in a photo area and dancing to party songs.

"It's a blast. This is the biggest that we have had so far and it keeps growing every year," said children's librarian Sarah Okner. "A lot of our patrons and our staff look forward to this every year."

The librarian read the story "The Night Before New Year's" by Natasha Wing while kids drank sparkling apple cider and ate cupcakes with their mothers and fathers.

"This is like a tradition for us," said Vinita Hulyalkar of Buffalo Grove as she watched her daughter sing. "She has been attending it since she was two years old. They do such a great job."

The party ended with everyone counting down from ten, singing "Auld Lang Syne" and popping bubbles as they floated out of a bubble machine.