Easter in the Park – a Sarnia tradition for more than half a century – returned Saturday to Canatara Park.
After a two-year break in the popular annual family event, because of pandemic restrictions, the city’s parks and recreation department and the Seaway Kiwanis Club were able to bring back the in-person event that included crafts, entertainment, hot dogs, train rides and an Easter egg hunt near the Children’s Animal Farm.
A large crowd turned out in the sunshine Saturday morning for the city parks department’s first full in-person community event since pandemic restrictions were lifted.
“It’s so wonderful,” said Rachel Veilleux, community services co-ordinator with the city. “We’ve been waiting for this and after two years it’s really rewarding.”
It was the city’s 52nd Easter in the Park.
“I came out here when I was a little kid and now I’m one of those people helping out,” said Dave Satram, who was chairperson of the event for the Kiwanis Club.
“We just make sure the kids have a great time,” he said.
Local cadets helped spread plastic eggs in three sections of the park and marshaled hunts divided up by age where youngsters could gather eggs to turn in for candy.
While it’s difficult to judge turnout to the free event, Veilleux said, “We order about 1,200 to 1,500 bags of candy to exchange in the egg hunt so we typically range around there.”
She said they didn’t know what to expect at the first event back since the pandemic.
“The sun is shining and we have so many people out – it has been great,” Veilleux said.
Ceramic eggs were mixed this year with the plastic ones and families could take them to Crock-a-Doodle at the Real Canadian Superstore to paint for free. There were also four special eggs that could be exchanged for one of four $125 gasoline cards donated by Imperial Oil.
Easter in the Park was the first event where a new log cabin built by the Kiwanis Club was used.
Cat Cabajar, of the Painted Cat, demonstrated Ukrainian Easter egg decorating inside the cabin and there were crafts in another park building while the Kiwanis Canatara Choo Choo was offering rides and Jonathan Seglins, known as Circus Jonathan, performed for the crowd.