RINGING IN NEW YEAR

People brave rain, cold to celebrate 2019’s arrival at Cleveland Zoo event

“We came just to be outside and enjoy the nature part of it.” — Joan Holloman, who attended the Noon Year’s Eve event with her granddaughter Maddison Holloman of Lakewood

Umbrellas were the musthave accessories for those dancing the New Year’s Eve morning away at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s Noon Year’s Eve event.

A chill in the air and a drizzly rain couldn’t dampen the festive spirits of the hundreds who gathered at the zoo on Dec. 31, to ring in the noon year with a DJ dance party and ball drop.

Parents and grandparents danced in the rain with their children and grandchildren while holding umbrellas.

Noon Year’s Eve at the zoo has been an annual event for 12 years and was started to allow kids the opportunity to celebrate New Year’s Eve with their

families during the day in a safe and family-friendly environment, according Jacqueline Gerling, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s director of communications.

For children like 3-yearold Eliza Randall of Bay Village, it was an opportunity to celebrate with other family members.

Eliza was looking forward to spending time with her cousins during the event.

Maddison Holloman, 8, of Lakewood, took a break from the activities to pose for a photo with “Frozen” characters Anna and Elsa. Maddison said she thought the event was really fun and she liked everything so much she couldn’t pick a favorite activity.

Maddison attended the event with her grandmother Joan Holloman.

“We came just to be outside and enjoy the nature part of it,” said Holloman, who sees the event as a way to show her granddaughter there is more to do outside her phone.

This was the Holloman’s first time at the event and she looks forward to returning next year.

The event, sponsored by Keybank, was emceed by Cierra Larson of Zone Entertainment.

Larson and the two dancers who accompanied her kept the crowd upbeat, dancing and hopping with hits such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” The Black Eyed Peas’ “Gotta Feeling” and dances such as the ChaCha and the Macerena.

Larson, while “Gotta Feeling” played, encouraged families to dance together, and she ended the song by instructing each family to give a group hug.

Other activities during the event included an ice sculpture, an inflatable snow globe children could climb and, of course, walking the zoo grounds to view the animals. The elephant exhibit seemed to be the most popular.

At noon, just as the rain started to go from a drizzle to a steady downpour, Larson led the crowd in a countdown and a ball on a digital screen dropped as brightly colored confetti shot out over the crowd.

KRISTI GARABRANDT — THE NEWS-HERALD Cold and rain didn’t dampen the spirits of families who came out to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on Dec. 31, to celebrate Noon Year’s Eve.

KRISTI GARABRANDT — THE NEWS-HERALD Zyad, 3. of Avon, Eli Kus, 5, and his younger brother Fin, 3, both of Litchfield, play in an inflatable snow globe during the Cleveland Metroparks Noon Year’s Eve at the Zoo.