Glastonbury’s Senior Center, always thinking ahead, avoided the snowstorm last week by celebrating New Year’s Eve 36 hours early.

The ‘Countdown to Noon,’ lunch was attended by more than 100 seniors who did brave gusty winds and bitter cold on Dec. 30.

Senior Center Coordinator Maryleah Skoronski took the opportunity to thank her staff for the hard work they’ve done all year.

The festivities began with Smith Middle School student Ernie Andreoli, who played the Spanish-style guitar. For Andreoli, it was his first public performance outside of school.

Skoronski said she first learned of Andreoli when his mother approached her about two weeks prior, looking to book performances for her son.

“I can always find room for someone to entertain us,” Skoronski said, adding that Andreoli learned to play ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ just for the occasion.

“It was cool,” Andreoli said of his first one-man show.

After the official countdown to noon, accompanied by lunch, the crowd was entertained by vocal group More4Fun, who called themselves a ‘very large quartet.’ The group’s leader said that instead of associating the barbershop style of singing with quartets, people should think of four-part harmony.

“Don’t cry over 2008, because it’s over,” Skoronski told the crowd. “Smile because it happened.”