Young Zooey Ryan of Weehawken really loves chocolate. So she was pleased when she won a chocolate bunny at the township’s annual Easter egg hunt last Saturday. She found a large coin in one of the plastic eggs, which could be exchanged for one of the bigger bunnies being given away.
But she displayed restraint by not eating it right then.
“I’m saving mine for Easter,” she said.
More than 200 kids ages 3 to 8 hunted for plastic Easter eggs at Louisa Park on Saturday morning.
“It’s a beautiful spring day,” said Mayor Richard Turner at the event.
The egg hunt has been going on for more than 40 years – since 1970. Township Manager Giovanni Ahmad noted, “The event is well attended, as always, and is loved by many children and adults alike.”
The bunnies were provided by Bromilow’s Homemade Chocolates in Woodland Park, N.J.
Volunteer students from Weehawken Middle and High School’s Peer Pride and Leadership helped the event run smoothly by escorting “Mr. & Mrs. Bunny” and “Mr. Duck” around the park to pose for pictures with families. The students also helped hide and collect the eggs.
“It’s great to see kids have fun in a big city that’s so family-oriented.” – Andrea Furrow
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Eighth graders Sydney Cheplic and Noelle White have been coming to the hunt since they were little kids, but this is the first time they’ve volunteered to work at it. More eager seventh graders brought their families along after helping with balloons and hiding eggs: Daniella Franco, Victoria Sampson, Amaya Simmons, Collin Shevlin, and Sofian Rahhli.
Every child got one bunny – 400 were ordered in advance – but the size of the coin in the egg determined the size of the bunny.
Oak Street residents Ben and Liz Chen’s daughter Elena ate the tips of her chocolate bunny’s ears while she roamed around the basketball court.
Children Zoe and Avery Furrow of Gregory Ave brought their grandmother Andrea Furrow all the way from Arlington, Va. to this event.
Andrea Furrow commented, “It’s great to see kids have fun in a big city that’s so family-oriented. It’s refreshing.”
The Recreation and Park Department and the Department of Public Works organized the event. Donna Daly and Kate McMahon of the Recreation Department have been planning this event since January. The DPW helped clean the leaves from the park, set up the tables and generators, place balloons around the park, and remove any graffiti.
At the event, those who weren’t looking for eggs were drawing in chalk in the park.
Daly has been working with the Recreation Department since she was in high school, and has been helping with this event for 25 years. She also attended the egg hunt when she was a kid.
“Louisa Park is a good choice,” she said, “because there’s a large playground area there so the kids have something to do before we start and after we finish.”