Be aware of the bunny bearing gifts on Monday as the annual LocoLanding Easter Egg Hunt takes place for the sixth year.
According to Diana Stirling, LocoLanding owner and hunt organizer, upwards of 1,500 people are expected to converge on the Riverside Drive area for the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. fun time and fundraiser.
“I can’t believe it grows so much each year and this year we have so many businesses in town that are coming out to support it with different activity stations,” said Stirling.
Kids are going to be making bunny ears, bunny noses, this year they get to do the hunt through the SS Sicamous, there’s Bricks4Kids, Lego, a dance station, gymnastics and the Penticton Minor Hockey is doing an obstacle course as well as KISU (swim club) is doing an egg roll.
“I never imagined that it would turn into this, but Penticton is so much fun and it just embraces fun, family activities and I just love that it has become such a tradition.”
Stirling added the best part of all is that the proceeds go to the OSNS Child and Youth Development Centre.
Like last year the Easter Bunny will arrive in style thanks to Penticton Fire Rescue members who will be chauffeuring the rabbit of the hour to the park site. The thousands of eggs stuffed with treats will be distributed throughout the grounds of Riverside Park, LocoLanding, the Rose Gardens and the SS Sicamous. Egg seekers will be divided into small groups and released onto the grounds at staggered intervals.
“It’s amazing, we even have a lot of people who come (without children) just to watch the excitement,” said Stirling. “It’s mostly older people, people who like to watch the Easter Bunny arrive by firetruck it is so much fun to see people, it was just so exciting.”
Over 60 teens are once again volunteering their time to help out with the proceedings according to the organizer.
Cost per child is just $5 with all the amenities included. Five LocoLanding activities will also be open with the entire proceeds going to the centre as well.
For OSNS executive director Manisha Willms the egg hunt is very much appreciated.
“It’s very important to us because the OSNS is really trying to embrace events that focus on families, our business is to support children and support their families and Loco does a great job of partnering with us to do that,” she said. “It is accessible for everybody, fun for everybody and we get to be out there and let the community know just how much we appreciate interacting with them.
“Part of our mission is to just increase community awareness about all the things a child development centre does for all the children who need extra support and also for children who are just developing typically but we want to make sure that every child reaches their potential.”
This is especially important now with the opening of the centre’s new daycare which is in addition to the integrated preschool.
“It definitely helps financially to update our materials and helps us provide more programming for children,” said Willms. “LocoLanding has long been supporters of the Child and Youth Development Centre and Diana Stirling in particular really understands our mission.”