At the stroke of noon on Wednesday, children lifted parachutes to toss confetti and balloons into the air at the Marshall-Lyon County Library. The daytime countdown was one of many New Year’s activities and games the library organized for kids and families on Dec. 31.

MARSHALL — It can be tough waiting until midnight to ring in the new year – but that wasn’t a problem at the Marshall-Lyon County Library on Wednesday. People of all ages could take part in daytime celebrations as part of the library’s “Noon Year’s Eve” program.

At a few minutes before noon, staff and volunteers helped set up for a countdown to the new year. Kids gathered in the children’s library to count down the last few seconds, before using colored parachutes to toss confetti and balloons into the air.

“It’s always good to see a big crowd like this,” MLCL children’s librarian Jessica McCarlson said of the event.

MLCL has held New Year celebrations for a few years now, featuring activities like games and crafts. Part of the Noon Year’s Eve program on Wednesday included countdowns for younger children, so they could ring in 2026 without having to stay up. There were also activities for older kids and families, like the chance to make your own buttons or magnets, enter a Lego building challenge, or follow clues for a scavenger hunt.

Jacob Benson said his family had invited friends to meet up at the library for the event.

“It was a fun thing to do,” he said. While the adults in the group might still celebrate the new year later Wednesday night, Benson said it was also nice to have something their families could do together.

“It’s a good, relaxing kind of environment,” he said.

While the craft and game stations were busy on Wednesday, there were also groups of people taking part in the scavenger hunt. The trail of clues led visitors like Jayce and Nova Geihl and Stetson Neville to a display of Dr. Seuss books in the children’s library.

To take the next step in the scavenger hunt, the kids had to do some math problems using numbers from book titles like “Ten Apples Up On Top!” and “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.”

Jayce Geihl used the puzzle results to try and open a padlocked box at the end of the hunt.

“It unlocked! I was right,” he said. The box opened to reveal treats like pieces of candy and New Year’s noisemakers.

There seemed to be a good crowd of people at the library for Noon Year’s Eve activities, McCarlson said. “It’s been busy.”

McCarlson said community is always the highlight of events like the New Year celebrations. Putting on the event takes a lot of staff planning, and help from community members. Noon Year’s Eve wouldn’t be possible without local volunteers, she said.