Easter egg hunt returns to Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls after two-hear hiatus
Kids who’ve been cooped up for the better part of two years and who’ve endured lockdowns, stay-at-home orders and virtual schooling will be able to shake off the COVID-19 blues and go on the hunt for chocolate eggs again next month.
That’s because after a two-hear hiatus due to all those pandemic-related restrictions that forbade big group gatherings and even closed parks for a while, the popular annual Stamford Center Volunteer Firemen’s Association (SCVFA) Easter egg hunt will return to Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls on Good Friday on April 15.
With provincial restrictions lifted, it means people will once again be allowed to gather for one of the city’s big spring traditions.
“It’s a breath of fresh air: we’ve been locked up all winter, we’ve been locked up for the last two years,” said Kevin Fehr, new president of the SCVFA and chair of the Easter egg hunt event.
“We’ll be able to get out on a nice day and get some fresh air and some sunshine, see people we haven’t seen in a long time, to see friends, family, neighbours,” he said.
“It was really disappointing the last couple of years, not being able to host it.”
Admission is $3 per child or a donation of a non-perishable food items for Project SHARE’s emergency food bank.
This year’s event is the 23rd annual hunt, and Fehr expects it will be a big draw for people of all ages.
“It attracts kids, their parents and grandparents; you get all three generations,” he said. “We can attract anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 people.”
The event, which goes rain or shine, will feature chili, hot dogs, hot and cold drinks and pony rides.
SCVFA members were having meetings as far back as January to start preparing for the possibility the hunt could go ahead this year, but Fehr said there was much uncertainty about whether it would be able to proceed because of constantly shifting restrictions and protocols during the last two years.
“There were just so many unknowns,” he said.
Association members got a big help from the Costco business center in St. Catharines, which was able to order the 500 pounds of chocolate eggs to be tossed around the park, with the idea that if the hunt couldn’t have gone ahead, the store could have sent the eggs back to the supplier, said Fehr. In the past, association members had to buy the eggs in bulk as far away as Toronto and would have been stuck with $2,200 worth of eggs if the hunt had to be cancelled, he said.
“They (Costco) were really helpful in making this event happen,” he said.
The egg hunt will be broken up by age groups so the smaller kids aren’t at risk of being knocked over by the bigger children. Kids ages five to seven will have their hunts at 11 am and noon, and kids aged eight to 10 will have their hunts at 11:30 am and 12:30 pm Kids aged four and under will have a separate hunting area roped off, with no specific time.
Fehr said to further support Project SHARE, his association will match up to $2,500 worth of donations from people. People interested in donating can contact him at 905-356-8116.
Sponsors for the egg hunt include Fehr, with Rob Golfi REMAX, Robert McKay with Vita Health Foods, Niagara Peninsula Energy and Marilyn Trout and Erin Levionnois with Mortgage Architects.