By MADDY VITALE
Sea Isle City is not letting children and their families down despite the cancelation due to the pandemic of the popular New Year’s Eve celebration at the former school.
Instead, there is a different kind of fun, one that involves a video with activities for families, courtesy of the City and the Recreation Office.
“The Recreation Office is working on a New Year’s Eve video for families," explained the city’s Public Information Officer Katherine Custer. "The plan is to create a brief, yet enjoyable family-friendly video that is geared toward children.”
Custer continued, “It will include a message from the mayor (Leonard Desiderio), a countdown to midnight and a few other nice aspects that will allow parents to have a New Year’s moment with their children without having to stay up until midnight to do it.”
While the program is still being fine-tuned, Custer assured that it will be entertaining for all.
“We are putting together some fun home projects for little kids to do with their families,” she added.
The video will provide games and other activities for children to make up for the cancellation of the live event.
Custer noted that Recreation Office employee Bill Kehner Jr. came up with the idea to create a video to countdown to the New Year for children. The video will include holiday wishes from the City’s administration.
And the video could be watched at any time.
It will be posted on the City’s Recreation Office Facebook page and will also be included in the city’s E-newsletter., which comes out on Thursday.
“As we all know, unfortunately we had to cancel a lot of events this year, including our New Year’s Eve celebration in the gymnasium, which has been a longstanding tradition for families here in Sea Isle,” Custer said.
For more than 20 years Sea Isle has celebrated New Year’s Eve with a party inside the former school. It featured fun for all ages, which was alcohol-free and allowed children to celebrate New Year’s Eve while still getting to bed early.
A lighted ball each year would begin a descent from the top of a prop onstage.
“It is a hugely popular event,” Custer said. “The countdown is a big part of it too, because it allows the kids to scream, “Happy New Year” and still be in bed early. Every year it is sold out.”
Custer said while a video can’t replicate the excitement of a time gathered at the former school for the popular New Year’s Eve extravaganza, it will create memories and an enjoyable time for families in the comfort of their own homes.
“Parents can watch the video at any time in the evening,” Custer added. “They can view it and use it as a countdown whether they want to do it at 7 p.m. or 9 p.m.”
With the cancellation of the New Year's Eve celebration, pictured is from 2020, the city came up with the next best thing for families to enjoy.
