The Easter Bunny was kept active, hopping down the bunny trail in Mountain Lake today (Saturday morning, April 15), moving from one holiday event to the other.
The bunny’s first visit with children was during “Muffins With The Bunny,” a Mountain Lake Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) family time held in the Mountain Lake Community Center. The free event was geared towards preschool children. Activities included an Easter Egg-hunting patch, craft projects, a mini-golf course, “butterfly”-catching and muffins and juice. Siblings were welcomed along with parents and their preschool children. In addition, the Mountain Lake Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) distributed a free book to each family.
Following that stop, the Easter Bunny headed on over to Mountain Lake City Park for his second visit, another free event, the annual Mountain Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Easter Egg Hunt. In addition to the hunt, a photo op with the special rabbit was available.
The egg and candy hunt was for children from 0-10 years of age. The park was divided into three sections – 0-to-4-years-old, 5-to-7-years-old and 8-to-10-years-old. The young participants were on the hunt for over 2,000 plastic, candy-filled eggs – along with plenty of extra candy scattered on the ground. Some the eggs contained special coupons from local businesses. The hunt’s business sponsors included Balzer, Inc.; Bargen, Inc.; Bolton & Menk; Care & Share/10,000 Villages; Country Pride True Value; Fulda Area Credit Union, Mountain Lake; Good Samartian Society of Mountain Lake; Hometown Sanitation; KDOM; Maynard’s Foods of Mountain Lake; Midway Farm Equipment; Mountain Lake Family Fitness; Observer/Advocate; Our Hometown Café; Peterson Thrifty White Drug & Gifts and United Praire Bank.
Following is a photo gallery from the Easter Bunny’s busy Saturday morning in Mountain Lake:
“Muffins With The Bunny”
A GAME OF mini-golf between friends. Anna Harder Schrock, right, takes a big swing as she starts on her way, while Isaiah Junker, left, tees up his golf ball.
COUSINS CATCHING “BUTTERFLIES.” Madelyn Humburg, right, holds up her butterfly net to cath the fabric “butterflies” blown into the air. At lower right is her brother, Isaac Humburg – with a “butterfly” landing on his head. At left is the Humburg’s cousin, Drew Bernsdorf, attempting to steer the flying “butterflies” into the net at the end of his outstretched arm.
GRANDMA CAROL FLAMING, left, gives an assist to her granddaughter, Ilah (named after her great-grandmother) Flaming, right, as she decorates her Easter bag with stickers and markers.
DADS CAN HELP decorate, too, and Brandon Junker, right, proves it as he peels off the backs off a fingers-full of stickers so that his son, Silas Junker, left, can stick them all over his bag.
THE MOUNTAIN LAKE Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) distributes free Easter-title books to all young attendees at the event. Above, Jeremy Johnson, right, his wife and three children (two daughters and one son, in that order), came to town to visit mom and dad/grandpa and grandma, Mike and Diana Johnson. Holding up her book selection, “Pooh’s Easter Basket,” is daughter, Claire Johnson.
SOPHIA ZARATE, RIGHT, on Grandma Valerie Henao’s lap, chose the same Easter book.
WHAT IS THE greatest thing to do when you get a new book? Find a quiet corner in which to read it. That is exactly what Emmalyn Nickel did.
PRESCHOOLERS ON THE “hunt” forr seven candy-filled Easter eggs. Helping Ivy Smith, left, count out her eggs is her mom, Jamie Boldt-Smith, right.
ABOVE, ELI GOHR begins gathering his seven Easter eggs – with sweet surprises inside.
ALLY HANSON, RIGHT, along with the inimitable Easter Bunny, left, are all smiles for any photo shoot, including this one.
Easter Bunny Visits Mountain Lake City Park For Annual Easter Egg Hunt
MINUTES LATER, THE Easter Bunny, center, had hippity-hopped right on down the street to Mountain Lake City Park for the annual Mountain Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Easter Egg Hunt. There he was greeted by Miss Mountain Lake 2016 Danica Dick, right, and Miss Mountain Lake 2016 First Runner-Up Emily Jahnke, left.
AFTER “READY, SET, go!” Joe Elston, front, takes off to grab as many candy- or coupon-filled Easter eggs as he can, under the watchful eye of his grandpa, Ray Elston, back.
KIRSTIN NICKEL DOES the Easter egg “scramble.”
IN THE MARKED out “hunt” area for younger children, Grandma Pat Elston, left, holds the goodies bag while grandson Calvin Elston, right, fills it up with Easter eggs and candy.
A HAPPY AUGGIE Rahn, who came to the “hunt” dressed as a “mini-me” Easter Bunny, holds up his basket of collected Easter eggs and treats.
JASON ELLA, LEFT, and his wife, Krystle Ella, right, spend some time in the City Park Gazebo opening up their children’s (Kayden Ella, second from left and Landon Ella, second from right) candy- or coupon-filled Easter eggs.
