Egg-citement reigns

Spring arrived just in time for the hunt!

In Rhinebeck, the morning of April 12 was sunny and warm as children gathered with baskets in hand and parents in tow for the Easter egg hunt at Thompson-Mazarella Park.

According to Recreational Director Chris Carey, who doubled as the Easter Bunny, there were more than 2,000 candy-filled eggs scattered throughout the park, with 12 golden eggs hidden among them that led to special basket of goodies.

A week later, April 19 was a perfect, sunny day for Red Hook’s Easter egg hunt on the Linden Avenue School lawn. It seemed like all of Red Hook was there, as was the Easter Bunny. The hunt was coordinated by the Red Hook police department, volunteer Kathy Triebel, Red Hook Library and the Village of Red Hook, among others. It featured 5,500 eggs filled with candy and age-appropriate prizes, like a coupon for a free slice of pizza, movie tickets, and a raffle for four large Easter baskets. The police department gathered the prizes, candy and eggs and then 5th graders at Mill Road Elementary School filled the eggs. Police Sgt. Patrick Hildenbrand said it was all part of the job: “Keeping the public safe…then giving back a little bit. Doing these types of things for the kids and doing it the best we can for our community.”

Seven-year-old Briseida Ortega gets a big hug from the Easter Bunny at the Rhinebeck egg hunt in Thompson-Mazzarella Park. Robert Lachman / The Observer
Seven-year-old Briseida Ortega gets a big hug from the Easter Bunny at the Rhinebeck egg hunt in Thompson-Mazzarella Park. Robert Lachman / The Observer

Later that day, in Tivoli, the fire department held a make-up egg hunt at the firehouse to , ensure that the first hunt two weeks ago would become a distant memory for many of the younger children. That hunt ended in dismay when older kids jumped the gun and took all the eggs, leaving the youngest children unhappy and bewildered. Chief Mark Hildebrand did his best to pull the new hunt together quickly. “We put this together at the last minute and we’ve talked about taking it over next year,” he said. Eggs were distributed around the firehouse; the kids scooped them up quickly, and everyone got a chocolate Easter Bunny at the end.

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