East Lyme — The countdown started just before noon as a crowd of children stood on the tips of their toes and started screaming.

Ten. Nine. Eight.

When they reached one, they hung in anticipation as it took East Lyme First Selectman Mark Nickerson several tugs to free the balloons before they came cascading down.

The annual "Countdown to Noon" event, hosted by the Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut, gave the area's youngsters, who presumably will be sound asleep when the rest of the country rings in 2017, the chance to celebrate in their own way.

It was a good way to celebrate a holiday that usually doesn't have many offerings for kids, said Angela Couture, a member of the museum, who brought her niece, Londynn Carter, 6, and son, Alec, 5, to the event for the first time.

Alec caught five balloons, all of which he was hoping to take home. And Londynn said her New Year's resolution was to go to the "launch," meaning the trampoline park.

Some kids sported paper party hats decorated in a rainbow of colors and with pom poms. All of the kids seemed set on catching as many balloons as possible. And as many as they'd be allowed to take home.

Rob Rhein brought his identical triplet daughters Scarlet, Mia and Lucy to the event. The 4-year-old sisters, who wore matching outfits with their hair in ponytails, had 10 balloons among them.

Four-and-a-half-year-old Olivia Wlodarczyk, who wore a pink dress and pink beaded necklace, had her arms wrapped around three pink balloons, undoubtedly her favorite color. She was trying to convince her grandmother, Cathy Barnett, who brought her to the event for the first time, to let her bring them all in the car with her.

The East Lyme event was one of several geared toward children in the region. Mystic Aquarium in Mystic also held a countdown to noon Saturday with the band Steve Elci & Friends, part of the aquarium's week of Winterfest activities.

j.bergman@theday.com