Marine Museum hosts Noon Years Eve party

Kids celebrate New Year’s Eve at Marine Museum

Solomons, MD – The Harms Gallery of the Calvert Marine Museum was the place to be at 10:30 a.m. New Year’s Eve, as the clock counted up to noon for the big balloon drop from the ceiling. Children packed the halls of the museum to enjoy a special New Year’s Eve party just for them filled with interactive fun. For two hours on Dec. 31, Calvert Marine Museum staff and volunteers rolled out the creative carpet for their visitors to celebrate the incoming year with story-telling, face painting, hands-on arts and crafts, a lively juggling show and snacks.

The marine museum was founded in 1970 and was designed to create family memories by offering special programs to bring parents and children together. The biggest attractions of the museum are the Discovery Room, Skates and Rays exhibit and the Paleontology Prep Lab which were open during the Noon Year’s Eve celebration.

The Noon Year’s Eve party-goers were entertained and amazed by the juggling skills of Nicolo Whimsey. Harms Gallery was packed with cheering children wearing handmade party hats and noise makers during the performance. 6-year-old Benjamin Stroh and Jackson Wingate, both of Leonardtown were having a great time watching the performance. “The juggler was the best part,” said Stoh, as he and his friend stopped for a quick photo opp.

Clay Safford and his twins Mattison and Brooke Safford, 5 of Valley Lee stood off to the side near the count-down clock waiting for the balloons to drop. Safford said, “A friend told me about this event and so I thought it would something nice to do.” The twins showed off their noise makers and party hats while keeping an eye on the clock.

There didn’t seem to be an unpainted face in the place. Painter Vanessa Hopkins was busy transforming faces upon request into butterflies, cats and more. “I have been painting for two years and started my own business 6 months ago,” said Hopkins. The party was filled with little faces brightly colored with Passion Paint by Popkins.

Kiara Gregory, 9 of Lusby couldn’t wait to show off her beautiful butterfly face, as her best friend Hailey Weber, 9 of Solomons locked arms for a photo.
Waiting patiently for the third face painting to be finished, grandmother Rosellen Houser of Barstow said, “The kids are really having a good time.”

William Rauner, 10 of St. Leonard watched carefully as the volunteer was making his ‘fireworks ring’ by twisting various colors together. Mom Cindy Rauner said, “We went through the entire museum today and he really enjoyed it.”

There is so much to see and do at the museum. Children were also able to explore exhibits and enjoy the interactive displays of the museum. Little hands could be found digging deep into the sand in search of fossils, pointing to the live animals in the tank, climbing the stairs of the indoor lighthouse display or playing in the pretend kitchen.
Natalie, Vivian, Aiden and Gabriel were working together frantically in the make-believe kitchen “preparing a New Year’s Eve feast” they said.

Josephine Snirey, 3 of Great Mills had no problem pointing out what she liked best in the aquamarine tank. “Turtle,” said Snirey.

Pretend archeologist Brooke Gutierrez, 7 of Leonardtown and Ashley, 8 of Hollywood were busy mining the sand for the perfect fossil to take home. Each child can take one discovered fossil home with them. Ms. Gutierrez told TheBayNet.com, “They have been digging and digging because she can’t make up her mind which fossil she wants – first is was a shark tooth, now she wants a snail shell.”

When the Noon hour finally approached, children gathered under the balloons to see how many they could catch during the drop.