Science Central, the region’s premier gateway for science education, will host “Countdown to Noon” on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

Festivities will occur from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As the noon hour approaches, visitors will enjoy a brief soda pop toast, and the assembled crowd will countdown the seconds till noon with Science Central’s Executive Director Martin S. Fisher. The festivities will culminate with the annual balloon drop, with nearly 2,000 Lake City Bank balloons cascading down from the ceiling.

If staying up until midnight to ring in the New Year doesn’t interest you, than bring the kids to Science Central to celebrate Countdown to Noon. This is the 14th year that Science Central, in collaboration with WAJI Majic 95.1, Indiana’s News Center, and sponsorship by Lake City Bank, has provided this family-friendly alternative to New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The event will feature a variety of activity tables and science demonstrations; all focused on traditional New Year’s Eve activities. Children’s activities will include making party hats, noisemakers, and face painting. Visitors will also be able to view city lights around the world on Science Central’s new permanent exhibit, Science On a Sphere, and it will be the last week to see the current traveling exhibition, “Electricity!”

Admission is $8 per person, ages 3 to adult. Science Central will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 31. Members are admitted free.