Just outside the fence to New Friends Playground, bodies packed closely together, not to ward off the chill in the air, but in anticipation of an Easter egg hunt. Easton’s Parks and Recreation’s annual egg hunt took place on Friday afternoon, March 27th, with two separate hunting grounds: the tennis courts for kids three and under, and the playground for kids from four to ten years old. The hunt was scheduled to begin a quarter past six, and as the clock crept closer, the tension on the chain link fence started to build. At one point, so many kids were pressed up against the fence the garbage can on the other side was knocked over.
On the playground, eggs lay scattered all over the place. In the huddle of children, there was speculation over the contents. Would it be Smarties? Temporary tattoos? Perhaps even tootsie rolls? Only time would tell. Suddenly, the gate swung open before the hunt was to begin. Easton’s best behaved children somehow restrained their excitement and held the line, waiting for the official start.
Once the kids were inside the fence, they lined up along it and waited for the signal to begin. A few of the more daring started to pluck eggs that were within reach, so plentiful was the bounty on the grass that there didn’t seem to be a square foot of the playground without an egg.
The official go signal set the kids off in what can only be described as pure pandemonium. March madness, indeed. While I don’t know how long it took the parks and rec department to place the eggs, the kids cleaned them up in short order. One, two minutes tops.
The kids employed various strategies to fill their egg baskets, bags, tissue boxes, and pockets. Some kept to the outskirts while the more adventurous climbed the equipment to see what surprises were placed up high. As the hunt wound down, the play started to pick up. That’s when the playground really lived up to its “New Friends” name.
I had the pleasure of meeting up with old acquaintances and met someone new from right down the street. My kids played with friends from school and made new ones outside of their recess crowd from Samuel Staples. They climbed, swung, jumped, and spun as afternoon turned into evening. Eventually, the playground crowd thinned out as the clouds in the west changed from a silvery gray to a vivid pink. The peepers, silent during the hunt, suddenly burst forth with their calls. The weekend air may be cold, but spring has most definitely arrived in Easton. The Easter bunny is soon to follow.
Have a blessed Palm Sunday and a Holy Week filled with reflection and grace.
The Cultural Easton 