Hoppy Days are here again - The Easter Bunny visits Manitouwadge

MANITOUWADGE -- Everyone had a hopping good time at the Manitouwadge Rec Centre as the Manitouwadge Community Services and the Public Library teamed up to bring a little Easter joy to the community.

Ring toss, paper plate tick-tac-toe, parachute games, colouring books, a photo booth, cardboard rabbit holes and an Easter basket filled with plastic eggs hidden in shredded paper were just a few of the fun, exciting games and activities for the kids, but the highlight of the evening was the appearance of the Easter Bunny in person.

The excitement can’t be captured in words; the jubilant squeals and shrieks echoed from every corner of the auditorium, joyful laughter could be heard from every parent and grandparent in the room. Children of all ages chased each other around without a care in the world.

“We haven’t held an event like this since before COVID.” Says Nickie Chik, Community Services coordinator. “Some of these kids weren’t even born the last time we held an Easter Bunny party, back in 2019. We wanted to bring the community back together again, something for the kids.”

Elizabeth Bierworth, the head librarian, couldn’t stop smiling at all the pandemonium going on around her. “We were just really excited to finally have a time where we could offer something like this for the community to gather, and just have fun, and let kids be kids. Really, the best part is looking out and seeing the utter chaos. We’ve got moms and dads coming and apologizing for their kids throwing paper and moving things around, but we’re like, ‘If this is what it means to have kids out and having fun, we’re okay with that. Go ahead, throw paper around, put it on my head. Whatever you need to do.’ It’s so refreshing to see that life is just normal.  It’s just great to have some normalcy back, seeing kids just having fun.”

Also joining in on the fun were two uniformed volunteers from the Manitouwadge Volunteer Fire Department, offering up an array of colourful stickers, magnets, colouring books, and even plastic fire brigade hats for the little ones. There were informative brochures and information posters available, showing how to prevent cooking and other fires when preparing your Easter dinner and throughout the year. “We like to come out to as many of these events as we can,” says Tiffany Lidster, one of the volunteers. “It’s a great way to reach out to the public about fire safety and prevention.”

Although the Easter bunny has hopped along to the next stop on her route, be sure to keep a lookout for all the treats she may have left in your homes, hidden under your bed, behind the curtains, on top of the clock, in the houseplants…

Happy Easter everyone!