Families ‘hoppy’ to hunt at soggy Easter celebrations

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
The Easter bunny was kept busy this past weekend, as he hopped to at least six different locations throughout the County.

Carrying his large basket filled with chocolate goodies and a few bigger chocolate surprises, he delighted the little ones with hugs, posing for photographs and gave out handfuls of treats to the many excited children vying for his attention.

The usual big crowd at the Milford Fairgrounds was a little smaller this year as a persistent cold drizzle and a raw wind kept families away. Of course, that meant more eggs for everyone else in a slightly scaled-back version of Milford’s Easter celebration.

Three-year-old Mabel and Benji, 5, decorated some distinctive head wear at the Milford branch library

The egg-travaganza began early Saturday morning with a pancake breakfast at the town hall. With tummies filled, families headed to the Milford branch library for Easter bonnet decorating. Several enthusiastic young children twisted pipe cleaners, sorted through sticky-back decorations, cut and tied ribbon and with a hot glue gun to secure everything in place (with a helping hand from library staff), an egg-cellent assortment of head wear was created for the ensuing parade.

Mabel, 3, and Benji, 5, from Toronto, were visiting grandparents in Picton. They stopped by the library to construct some suitable bonnets. While Mabel used yellow flowers for her fascinator, she confessed that pink and purple were her favourite colours.

John Hirsch, South Marysburgh councillor, and County mayor Steve Ferguson, joined the parade to the fairgrounds.

A small contingent paraded up the hill to the fairgrounds. Braving the rain was the easy-to-spot Easter bunny, as well as County mayor Steve Ferguson and South Marysburgh councillor John Hirsch among them.

At the fairgrounds, with everyone lined up in orderly fashion, a poised Easter bunny gave the signal and the children swarmed the field. Using their well-honed egg-hunting skills, the task of locating as many eggs in the shortest time possible was achieved as baskets were quickly filled. And for a while, in the frenzy, it seemed as if no one really noticed the worsening weather as the approximately 4,500 foil-covered chocolate eggs were hunted in record time.

The Easter Bunny hears some hunting secrets from visitors to his egg-stravaganza at Milford

Covered carriage rides around the village wrapped up the morning’s curtailed festivities organized by the South Marysburgh Recreation Board. Everyone seemed to have a hopping good time despite the less-than-spring-like weather and went home wet, but ‘hoppy’.