Easter Bunny visits Wooster
The Wooster Parks and Recreation Department held their 27th annual Easter Egg Hunt at Freedlander Park April 9. An average of 500 children attend each year, according to Ashley Brillhart, recreation coordinator, and the event has only been canceled once in its history. But the weather presented a challenge this year. Organizers had planned to put the candy and prizes out in the lawn as usual, but due to the muddy conditions in the park they decided to just hand them out instead. “We hope people will understand why we had to change it—unfortunately, we can’t predict the weather,” said Brillhart.
Steve Logiudice and his wife brought their two children to this year’s event. “We’ve been here other years and always had a good time,” he said. “It’s a great way to kick off spring, get some candy and give the kids a chance to play in the park. It’s fun to get out and see people we haven’t seen for a while—it kind of feels like we’re coming out of hibernation.”
Inside Freedlander Chalet, a long line of parents and children snaked around the perimeter of the room, patiently waiting their turns to meet and take pictures with the Easter Bunny. Karen Tompkins, a volunteer from Kohl’s in Wooster, donned a bunny suit for the occasion. Across the room, College of Wooster students applied temporary tattoos.
At several stations outdoors, smiling volunteers scooped out candy by the handful to fill the children’s Easter baskets. One of the volunteers, Philip Cubberley, is a sixth-grade student at Melrose Elementary who was working to earn points toward a Social Studies project. Cubberley and his mother also spent time picking up eight bags of trash in the park the week before the event. When asked what he has learned through this experience, he said, “It’s good to work without pay sometimes because you want to help other people.”
Also serving at the event were 12 volunteers from the Circle K club at the College of Wooster. Circle K is a service club affiliated with the Kiwanis. Erin Flannelly, a freshman at the College of Wooster, said she joined Circle K this year because she was interested in volunteering and getting involved with the community.
Kohl’s was the Easter Egg Hunt’s major sponsor this year, and sent volunteers as well. The company has sponsored the event for the past five years through their Associates in Action (AIA) program, in which Kohl’s donates $500 to a project if at least five employees volunteer at least three hours. The Wooster Parks and Recreation Department uses the funds to purchase candy and prizes each year.
“It’s just a great way for us to get involved and give back to the community,” said Jillian Panczyk, assistant store manager at the Wooster Kohl’s. She was heading to a fundraising event for Big Brothers Big Sisters later in the day. Panczyk said her store’s goal is to do 40 events this year, up from 32 last year.
Area supervisor Calvin Williamson also came out for the event. “We do a lot of fundraisers with Cici’s Pizza (for cystic fibrosis) and the Orrville Boys and Girls Club—and anybody else who wants to be a part of the program,” he said.
As Susan Kelley of the Wooster Parks and Recreation Department summed it up, “The community benefits from us working together, and that’s what it’s all about.”