Complete with noisemakers and nonalcoholic bubbly, youths rang in the new year at noon Wednesday during the annual celebration at the Santa Maria Valley Children’s Discovery Museum.
Some 130 youngsters and adults gathered at the museum for the celebration, which included crafts to make noisemakers, sparkling apple cider, cookies, candy canes and a big supply of energetic enthusiasm for the countdown led via video of “All Hail King Julien.”
The annual “Noon Year’s Eve” celebration also serves as a time to reflect on the previous year and look ahead to plans for the future at the museum housed in 13,000 square feet and boasting multiple “please touch” exhibits.
“It was a wonderful year of revitalization and growth for the museum,” Executive Director Chris Slaughter said.
Youths gather to watch program director Amy Asman Blanco demonstrate fireworks in a jar color experiment after the Noon Year’s Eve celebration at the Santa Maria Valley Children’s Discovery Museum on Wednesday. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo)
“For 2015, we’ve got all kinds of new exhibits coming in,” she told the crowd. “We have a science of farming exhibit we’re developing. We’re working on some new ideas for the Discovery Museum diner. We’ve got some folks from the aerospace industry that are working on a space launch exhibit.”
Plans for the diner include a focus on farm-to-table philosophy to encourage healthy eating and exercise among youngsters.
Officials are working to refurbish and renew the museum’s 40 exhibits — “2015’s going to be year for us to do that,” Slaughter said.
She urged people to remember the Discovery Museum when looking for organizations to help.
“We’re always in need of new volunteers from the community to share resources, share their skills, or just come and give of their time,” Slaughter said.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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