Families participate in early new year revelry

December 30, 2018 at 12:09a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Seven-year-old triplets Meredith, Coraline and Elena Wakefield won’t be among the sea of revelers expected to jam Times Square on Monday evening to usher in 2019, but that doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy their own brand of pop and circumstance.

“You put the balloon at the bottom and get any wrapping paper you want. Then you glue the balloon to the paper and roll it up and cut the edges of the paper,” Elena explained about the process she used to design a confetti popper.

Elena’s other two siblings followed suit by attaching balloons to the bottoms of their bathroom-tissue rolls, inserting small pieces of colored paper inside as confetti and pulling on the balloons to shoot the confetti out, which resulted in a popping sound and was the source of many laughs.

For the finishing touches, Elena, Meredith and Coraline decorated their poppers with paper that consisted of red hearts, colors of the rainbow and red roses against a white background.

The girls, who are second-graders at St. Charles School in Boardman, also were among the youngsters and adults who got to celebrate New Year’s Eve a bit early by participating in the first Noon Year’s Eve celebration Saturday morning at the Newport branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, 3730 Market St., on the South Side.

The one-hour event’s name was a twist on the idea that most children are unable to stay up late enough to watch the traditional ball drop at midnight on Times Square to signify the start of a new year, said Jenni Hemphill, a children’s librarian who oversaw the gathering.

“It’s a nice party with kids. It gives them a chance to come into the library and have fun with us and meet other kids their age,” Hemphill explained about the program’s primary purposes. “We adults get to go to celebrate, so why not the kids?”

Elena, Meredith and Coraline celebrated in advance of the end of 2018 and the start of 2019 also by coloring and stringing party hats, some of which depicted cartoon characters and others that said simply “Happy New Year.”

“We string through the holes, tie it and make it the right size and put it on,” Elena said excitedly about how she constructed her hat.

Some of her excitement may have spilled over from Santa Claus’ generosity, because the sisters received a total of more than 29 Christmas gifts, including what filled their stockings, Elena continued.

Coralin said that even though she hasn’t made any resolutions for 2019, she is excited about another celebration that will occur soon after New Year’s Day: the triplets’ eighth birthday Jan. 26.

“It’s a nice opportunity for the girls to participate without having to stay up until midnight,” said their father, Thomas Wakefield, a Youngstown State University math professor.

Also enjoying the festivities was their mother, Andrea Snyder, a psychologist with Apex Psychotherapy Center in Boardman, who added that the family frequently visits the library system.

The family-oriented gathering proved to be a family-friendly experience for 5-year-old Vikkie Hann of Austintown; her mother, Elizabeth Hennessy; and grandmother Cindy Hann.

Vikkie, an Austintown Early Learning Center preschooler, added an artistic flair to her party hat by coloring it with purple streaks. She also added her creative touches to a confetti popper.

In years past, New Year’s Eve has consisted of family reunions and get-togethers, but this year will be much quieter, Hennessy said. That’s because everyone plans to stay home, she continued.

Saturday’s fun fest also was another way to showcase the PLYMC’s wide variety of offerings for people of all ages, Hemphill added.