New Year’s festivities highlight MAIN EVENT

With 2024 just a few days away, this week’s MAIN EVENT is ringing out the old year and ringing in the new one.

The Bootheel Youth Museum in Malden will celebrate the new year early with Noon Year’s Eve, which kicks off at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Join them for an early celebration of the New Year and a balloon drop at one second until noon. There will be noise makers, a DJ and dancing.

Covenant Church of Van Buren invites one and all to plunge into the new year — figuratively and literally — at the Current River Cold Plunge at 10 a.m. Monday at the Landing. After the foray into the chilly waters of Current River, there will be a New Year’s Day breakfast to follow.

If one is looking for something different to celebrate the new year, Valkyrie Gaming will be celebrating the end of 2023 and the start of 2024 all weekend “the nerdy way” with games, movies and music, including tournaments and Dungeons and Dragons games.

Other upcoming events include:

— Gaming Into the New Year, noon Dec. 29-midnight Jan. 1 WHERE Valkyrie Gaming, 2202 N. Westwood Blvd. COST Free to attend. WHAT Join them while they are open all weekend, playing games, watching movies and listening to music. With constant tournaments running and D&D games going, they invite all to celebrate the nerdy way with them.

— Open Studio, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 30 WHERE Canvas & Grain Studio, 1097 Highway 142. COST $15 and up, depending on the project. WHAT Join them and paint. Lots of canvas art and wood door hangers to choose from. Projects take 1 1/2 to 2 hours to complete.

— Noon Year’s Eve, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 31 WHERE Bootheel Youth Museum, 700A N. Douglass St., Malden. COST Free. WHAT Join them for an early celebration of the New Year. Balloon drop at 11:59:59a.m. There will be noise makers, a DJ and dancing.

— New Year’s Eve with Jesse Hammock, 7 p.m. Dec. 31 WHERE Haff Whiskey Saloon, 309 S. Broadway. COST Free to attend. WHAT Venue opens at 5 p.m. and Hammock plays at 7 p.m. to ring in 2024.

— New Year’s Eve Bash, 8 p.m. Dec. 31 WHERE Lake Wappapello Eagles 4066, 9103 Highway T, Wappapello. COST Free for Eagles, $10 for non-Eagles. WHAT New Year’s Eve Bash with the band As Is, plus a potluck and finger foods. Please bring your favorite dish.

— Current River Cold Plunge, 10 a.m. Jan. 1 WHERE The Landing, 110 Front St., Van Buren. COST Free. WHAT Hosted by Covenant Church, they invite one and all to figuratively and literally plunge into the new year. New Year’s Day breakfast with festivities to follow.

— Storytime, 10:30 a.m. Jan. 2 WHERE Poplar Bluff Municipal Library, 318 N. Main St. COST Free. WHAT Join the library as they celebrate 2024 and come learn about trying new things for the New Year.

— Let’s Go Lego, 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Jan. 2 WHERE Poplar Bluff Municipal Library, 318 N. Main St. COST Free. WHAT Join the library for this drop-in event, and see what you can make with Legos. Put your engineering skills to the test.

— VR Games, 2 p.m. Jan. 3 WHERE Poplar Bluff Municipal Library, Ridgel Branch, 3398 Kanell Blvd. COST Free. WHAT Join them for an afternoon of free gaming.

Don’t see your event? Let us know what you’ve got coming up and we’ll add it. Just email dailyamericanrepublic@darnews.com