Easter through a child’s eyes

BY MARY WICOFF

DANVILLE Tue, May 13 2008

— While adults appreciate the importance of Easter as a holy day, children see it a bit differently. It’s all about painted eggs, fuzzy bunnies and chicks, and baskets of candy.
Last weekend, more than 100 youngsters romped through Brewstar café in downtown Danville as part of the annual Easter egg “hunt.” The hunt itself, traditionally in Kresge Park, was canceled due to the cold, drizzly weather.
Instead, children enjoyed an hour of activities, and were handed a bag of plastic eggs as they left. The eggs contained little toys, and four eggs in each age category held a $50 savings bond.
When children arrived at the café, they were greeted by an adult-sized Easter bunny, who enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with them, and a large blue kangaroo, representing the nearby children’s bookstore of the same name.
The children and their parents feasted on sprinkled donuts, fruit and juice, while coloring the Easter-themed sheets at each table. They also had a chance to watch old cartoons and listen to stories.
“He was excited to come to ‘bunny town,’” Marsha Howe of Tilton said, watching her 4-year-old son, Chaz, show off his picture of a yellow duck. He also enjoyed the Easter bunny and the kangaroo, as did his brother, Caleb, 3.
Their older sister, Victoria Howe, was busy eating a donut, which probably was her favorite part of the morning, her mother said jokingly.
They were accompanied by grandmother, Nancy Garland of Tilton.
When asked what she liked best about the event, 7-year-old Karly Cox immediately answered: “No school.”
Her father, Kevin Cox, said with a smile, “I like the blue Easter bunny.”
“That’s a kangaroo!” Karly quickly corrected him.
The Kinney boys of Bismarck, Spencer, 7, and Reece, 9, were busy making paper airplanes out of their coloring sheets, along with friend, T.J. Scott, 9.
“Everything was fun,” T.J. said.
Their parents, Teri and Scott Kinney, said the boys enjoyed the sprinkle donuts and coloring the sheets.
The family often goes to the Blue Kangaroo bookstore, Teri said.
Julie Rudolph, owner of the bookstore, read a book to children, who sat on the floor in front of her. Kathy Swick, a bookstore employee, also read a book.
“It went real well,” she said of the event. Last year, a similar event was held at Vermilion Place.
The event was sponsored by Downtown Danville, Inc., Vermilion County Title, First Midwest Bank and Vermilion Valley Produce.

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