East Lyme — Following a countdown to noon on Thursday, 12-year-old Marjorie Heard had the honor of pulling the string to release balloons from a net in the Niantic Children's Museum, streamed to a live audience on Facebook.

Museum Executive Director Holly Cheeseman said on this day last year, there were about 450 people at the Countdown to Noon, which the museum, then known as the Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut, held at the East Lyme Community Center.

But this year, Marjorie was one of just eight people at the museum: Also there were her parents, Sara and Gary Heard; Cheeseman; education coordinator Donna Dione; Rita Rivera, who does marketing and graphics for the museum; and a Day reporter and photographer.

"What should we do now?" Marjorie asked after the balloon drop.

"It's up to you; you've got the run of the place," Dione said. And Marjorie quite literally ran off, toward the market and fire company areas, before initiating a game of hide and seek with her father.

Countdown to Noon is typically an activity-filled event and the museum's second-biggest fundraiser of the year, but with COVID-19 restrictions this year, Cheeseman set about both trying to replicate the experience for kids at home and to create a revenue stream.

That meant pre-taping videos and putting together activity kits for children to do at home, and selling raffle tickets for a chance to be the lone family in the museum on New Year's Eve day.

"I was surprised, because I don't win things usually," Sara Heard said.

Countdown to Noon was held at the museum until four or five years ago, Cheeseman said, when the event outgrew the space and was moved to the community center. Marjorie has been coming to the event since it was held at the museum.

She likes coming to the museum in general because there are lots of activities to do. The Heard family primarily lives in Brooklyn but has a vacation home in Niantic.

Prior to pulling the string for the balloons, Marjorie made a Christmas tree craft and had a meet-and-greet with two museum animals, Loki the leopard gecko and Bob the bearded dragon, with some animal education from Dione.

"We need a leopard gecko," Marjorie told her parents excitedly. After tapping each animal's nose, she declared, "I have to boop all the animals. It's my life's goal."

Meanwhile, the museum was streaming a series of pre-taped videos, including talks from Dione with Mr. Rogers the Russian tortoise and other animals, a demonstration of how to make a marzipan pig, a party popper craft, and more. Those who picked up a museum kit already had many of the materials and ingredients to participate at home. After a how-to on making homemade ice cream in a bag, the video turned live to the balloon drop.

The $1,000 sponsors, which were Chelsea Groton Bank, Dominion Energy, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, Boats Inc., and Hamilton Point Investments, had their names on the balloons. Cheeseman said the museum also got more than $1,000 in revenue from raffle tickets.

e.moser@theday.com