"It was very awesome:" Betty Brinn Children's Museum celebrates New Year's Eve at Noon



Betty Brinn NYE celebration



MILWAUKEE -- While most people will wait until Sunday to ring in the New Year, hundreds of parents and children celebrated the holiday ahead of time on Friday, December 29th, at the Betty Brinn Children's Museum.

“They all get to dance around," said Becky Yoshikane, an Exhibit Technician. "The museum is always super-packed, do a little apple juice toast.”

It was indeed a full house  for the annual "New Year’s Eve at Noon" event.

Betty Brinn NYE celebration



“We came today because we’ve been inside all week," Shannon Shimoyama, a mother of a two-year-old, said. "It’s cold and he was literally climbing the walls yesterday.”

Betty Brinn NYE celebration



The Museum gets more than 200,000 visitors each and every year. And Winter Break is an especially busy time, with stir-crazy little students taking advantage of the educational exhibits.

“Cooperation, collaboration, problem-solving," said Vice President of Brinn Labs Carrie Wettstein, naming the Museum's many benefits. "All of these things are really key to preparing a child for kindergarten and for further academic and lifelong success.”

“He can grow with the museum as he gets older," Shimoyama added. "Something familiar for him and he can look forward to coming back each time.”

With the emphasis on ingenuity, their version of the ball drop was something to see – an elaborate Rube Goldberg-style chain reaction of blocks, springs, confetti and more.

Betty Brinn NYE celebration



Becky Yoshikane



“Of course, we’re super nervous," Yoshikane said during the set-up phase. "But I bet you it’s going to be amazing.”

And afterwards, the youngest viewers gave this way to ring in 2018 a ringing endorsement. 

The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum will be open for regular hours throughout the holiday weekend: from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, noon until 5 p.m. Sunday and again from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on New Year’s Day.