Easter egg hunt returns after two-year COVID hiatus
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz The Easter Bunny visits with families from Alpena before the start of the annual Easter egg hunt at the Northern Lights Arena. The event was canceled the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Jonny Zawacki, right, presents a bike to a lucky winner during the Easter egg hunt in Alpena on Saturday. Hundreds of families from the area filled the arena to enjoy the fun.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Jayden McKenzie, left, and Ashley Rifenbark sort through the Easter Eggs McKenzie collected during an Easter egg hunt in Alpena on Saturday. Some of the eggs won the children prizes.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz A little girl gets a close-up look at a large pink Easter Bunny that was on display at the Northern Lights Arena during the annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday. A smaller version of the bunny was also at the event and helped to entertain the crowd and pose for pictures.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz A group of children quickly try to collect plastic Easter eggs from the ground at the Northern Lights Arena on Saturday. Some of the eggs alerted the kids that they won a prize, which included bikes and many toys.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz The Easter Bunny visits with families from Alpena before the start of the annual Easter egg hunt at the Northern Lights Arena. The event was canceled the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Jonny Zawacki, right, presents a bike to a lucky winner during the Easter egg hunt in Alpena on Saturday. Hundreds of families from the area filled the arena to enjoy the fun.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Jayden McKenzie, left, and Ashley Rifenbark sort through the Easter Eggs McKenzie collected during an Easter egg hunt in Alpena on Saturday. Some of the eggs won the children prizes.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz A little girl gets a close-up look at a large pink Easter Bunny that was on display at the Northern Lights Arena during the annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday. A smaller version of the bunny was also at the event and helped to entertain the crowd and pose for pictures.
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz A group of children quickly try to collect plastic Easter eggs from the ground at the Northern Lights Arena on Saturday. Some of the eggs alerted the kids that they won a prize, which included bikes and many toys.
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ALPENA -- Hundreds of families flocked to the Northern Light Arena on Saturday to seek out Easter eggs that gave them a chance to win prizes.
They were also able to say hello to the Easter Bunny, who spent much of its time hopping and dancing around the thawed-out ice rink egging on the crowd to have fun.
The annual event was on hiatus for two years, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation, but that seemed to be put in the rearview mirror, as the energetic crowd celebrated the Easter holiday and the family time they were able to spend together.
The egg hunt was sponsored by True North Radio Network, McDonald's and Alpena Optimist Club and others generously donated to the event.
Darrel Kelly, True North Radio Network general manager, said the radio station's staff and all of the volunteers who helped with the event have been looking forward to spending the day with the community.
It is great to be back in the swing of things after being away for a couple of years because of COVID," Kelly said. "You can tell people were anxious to get out and we have had a lot of great community and sponsor support and they are who make this all possible to do something nice for the community. You can tell by the crowd here today, people are having a great time."
Before the event started at 11 a.m. there was a steady flow of traffic flowing into the parking lot of the arena and the bleachers were filled with mothers, fathers, grandparents, and of course children, all of whom were eager for the event to begin.
Kelly instructed them how to get in line alongside the rink, and the Easter Bunny led the participants in and got them set for the hunt.
After Kelly counted down from three to zero, it was pandemonium, as the kids rushed into the eggs and began to throw them into their bags and easter baskets.
Josey Fredrickson held her too small children's hands as they prepared for them to pick up their plastic eggs and treats. Afterward, she helped them open each one to see if they had won any of the many prizes, including bikes, that were displayed at a nearby table.
"This is great and it is nice to see all of the kids smiling and having a good time," Fredrickson said. "The kids got to get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny, and just had a lot of fun."
In all there were three separate egg hunts, as the kids were broken up into several age groups. While waiting, you could often see them, along with the adults, swinging their hips to the sound of Easter music playing through the area's P.A. system.
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Other than the eggs and toys, the Easter Bunny was the star of the show, as it continually entertained the children, danced, and made time to say hello to anyone who wanted to say hello or snap a picture.
Dean Reider said he managed to get a photo of his daughter Allison with the bunny, but she wasn't sure what to make of the six-foot tall white bunny.
"She wasn't too happy, but she wasn't crying," he said. "She's only three and this is the first time she has been up close to the Easter Bunny. She wasn't that bad though."
Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.