Easter fun in the Illinois Valley: ‘Any time you can make that many kids happy it’s priceless’

One girl wailed in fright at the sight of a 6-foot tall Easter Bunny, but 4-year-old Crew Fordham of had no such misgivings. Into the bunny’s arms he ran.

“I gave him a big hug,” Crew reported, smiling, after he posed for pictures with the big rabbit at Spring Valley’s Kirby Park.

Crew was one of dozens of children who scoured the park for eggs, availed themselves of free treats and got to pose with the Bunny who next week will bring eggs and treats to little boys and girls across Starved Rock Country. (Unless, of course, they’ve been naughty.)

“That was his first time seeing the bunny,” said Crew’s mom, Chelsea Sweezey. “We couldn’t do it last year and he was too scared to meet the bunny before that.”

It was a theme across the region as cities hosted Easter egg hunts and other outdoor holiday events. Nippy though it was – Saturday’s temperature hovered around 45 degrees – families couldn’t resist a sunny day.

Easter egg games have a long tradition in the United States, with the White House first holding an Easter egg roll in 1878 under Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president. The egg itself is a Christian symbol, its shape resembling the stone covering Christ’s tomb and which the Disciples found had been rolled away.

A less profound revival took place Saturday as area cities, freed from infection controls, opened their parks for children’s events.

Kathy Gonzalez of La Salle surprised her sons and nephew Josiah Pagan with a trip to Hegeler Park, La Salle, where the Easter Bunny squeezed a visit amid his packed schedule and oversaw an Easter egg hunt.

The park was littered with plastic eggs in assorted colors but they didn’t stay there long. It was Gonzalez could do keep the boys from jumping the 11 a.m. start time and harvesting eggs ahead of the rest of the crowd.

“It feels to good to have the kids out, especially for my 2-year-old, Julian,” Gonzalez said. “He was a pandemic baby and he loves to be outside.”

In Peru, event organizers offered a noon “reserved sensory time” for special needs students at Centennial Park, a suggestion passed along to parks and recreation director Adam Thorson. Once the special needs kids got their allotted time in, a mad scramble ensued for eggs from the rest of the crowd – much to the delight of Mayor Ken Kolowski.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with the event,” Kolowski said. “Any time you can make that many kids happy and smiling it’s priceless.”