Photo Provided Hundreds of children attempt to catch balloons as they drop at the annual Noon Year’s Eve event at the Ohio Valley Mall.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — For the past six years the Ohio Valley Mall and St. Clairsville Sunrise Rotary has been proving that New Years Eve isn’t just for adults.

Before the champagne is popped and the ball is dropped “Noon Year’s Eve” will have children of all ages ringing in the new year.

The annual bash will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on New Year’s Eve at the Ohio Valley Mall. Admission is cash only and costs $5 per child, which includes games, crafts, slime, music provided by DJ Daner, balloon art and magic shows by Michael Strough. The event will conclude with a balloon drop at noon.

“There’s so many things geared towards adults and sometimes those adult activities can be risky in the evening and midnight as the ball drops,” said Ashley Spencer, former St. Clairsville Sunrise Rotary Club President. “Rotary is truly service above self and it’s our drive to do things for the community. And we always want to be focused on doing things that are healthy and positive.”

She added that the annual event is able to bring the community together while providing a healthy and safe atmosphere for children to feel included in celebrating the holiday.

“Mom and dad might go do what they do in the evening with their friends or host friends to watch the ball drop late in the evening. But sometimes the kids do feel excluded because it is late,” Spencer said. “So we just wanted a family friendly activity that fosters kids to feel special at the same time.”

She added that the balloons are empty and she makes sure that DJ Daner stresses that fact throughout the entirety of the event.

Spencer said that the reasoning of not including prizes in the balloons is to ensure that there’s no fighting during the holiday season.

“There’s no prizes in the balloons but they get a goodie bag whenever they go to the registration table. And that goodie bag has a variety of things like a noisemaker, snacks, hat, beads and traditional New Year’s Eve items,” she said.

The first hundred children to register will receive a gift certificate to Bear Necessities Candy & Soda which is located inside of the mall.

Spencer said that the event would not be possible without the generosity of its sponsors EQT, Belmont Savings Bank, Friends of Belmont County Juvenile Court, Belmont County Tourism Council and the Ohio Valley Mall.

In addition to the sponsors, several residents, who are involved in various Belmont County organizations, will be volunteering their time to help the event run smoothly.