VERO BEACH — The Year 2012 has already begun, according to more than 100 children who brought parents and grandparents to the New Year’s party at the Vero Beach Book Center. With party hats and favors, glasses of “bubbly” and an official ball drop at 12:00 – it would be difficult to argue the difference between Noon and Midnight.
“We’re loving it,” said mom Katie Erfurt, whose 3-year-old Molly was too shy to say how much fun she was having at the party.
Her sister, 6-year-old Emily, simply nodded her head to say she, too, was having fun.
The Erfurts are regulars at the Vero Beach Book Center, coming most every Friday for storytime.
“The staff is just so sweet,” Erfurt said, especially Miss Julie, who runs the story hours.
Erfurt said neither of her two daughters would be able to stay awake for the real ball drop at midnight.
“This one might try,” she said, giving Molly a little jiggle.
Fellow mom Laura Lewis brought 2-year-old Olivia to the party as a replacement for the main event 12 hours later.
“It looked really cool,” Lewis said of the write-up about the event – a ball drop, snacks, stories, and music. “We wanted to see what it’s all about.”
Olivia said she was having fun and showed off her stickered “Happy New Year” crown.
Leading up to the main event, Miss Julie read three stories to the crowd of children – the three top stories during storytime in 2011.
Hogwash, by Karma Wilson, The World Champion of Staying Awake, by Sean Taylor and Jimmy Liao, and Anton Can Do Magic by Ole Könnecke, where the three selected.
“I could’ve picked them all,” Miss Julie told the children as they settled on the floor to listen to her read.
Miss Julie said people celebrate the end of the current year and look forward to the next as part of their New Year’s parties.
She said the new year is like a brand new diary or journal – just waiting to be written.
“Isn’t that exciting?” she asked the kids.
After storytime, the children decorated their own party hats and then paraded around the Children’s Book Store to the Beatles “Birthday” song.
Then, it was time for the main event. The children stood, armed with their whistling and buzzing party favors and a piece of bubble wrap and commenced the countdown.
As the ball hit the floor, they cheered “Happy New Year!” and blew their favors all while stomping on their bubble wrap, causing a sound akin to that of Fourth of July fireworks.
Continuing to buzz and whistle their favors, the children began to stream out the book center ready to take on the next year beginning today.
