It may have been the day after Easter, but the spirit of the holiday was just getting fired up this morning down at LocoLanding.
Little Delilah, wearing Easter bunny ears and grinning from ear to ear, said, "I love going to this place," and confirmed that she did indeed get a lot of eggs. Her even littler sister Violet, also sporting bunny ears, said something unintelligible but did it while laughing her head off.
Later, at the starting line of one of the many Easter Egg Hunt "waves" that continued throughout the morning and early afternoon, a young boy with tousled blond hair struck a superhero pose and said he was here to "solve justice for chocolate." Another little boy standing beside him simply cut to the chase. "I'm here to get Easter eggs!"
The occasion was the ninth annual LocoLanding Easter Egg Hunt, and early indications are that it may have been the most popular - and busiest - to date. And that's good news for benefitting organization OSNS Child and Youth Development Centre.
OSNS community engagement coordinator Meg Dimma, good enough to chat with us while prepping for the event just prior to its start, quickly ran through all the activities the day offered for its seriously reasonable $5 per child entry fee.
Waves of egg hunts in the Rose Garden, more waves of egg hunts aboard the adjacent SS Sicamous, at least a half-dozen craft tables, a hot dog sale, an event-long visit by the Easter Bunny, reduced admission to several of LocoLanding's activities, and more.
"All year families look forward to this event. It's just $5 a child, so it's very accessible for everybody, and it's a really fun way to interact with peers. It's just a fun day for everyone and a great way to spend time with your kids out in the community."
Dimma looked out at the long lineup forming in front of the registration table and guesstimated a crowd of a thousand people would ultimately take part.
And most importantly, said Dimma, "All the money raised goes to OSNS. So it's a wonderful cause. We rely heavily on fundraising to support our services programs and to keep our building in operation, and we couldn't do it without the help of events like this."
Later, nearing the 1 p.m. conclusion, LocoLanding owner Diana Stirling upped that attendance estimate to 1500. And yes, it really was that busy.
"This is our ninth year doing this event and we absolutely love it. What we love most about the event is that it's truly for the families of Penticton. But it's because our 75 youth volunteers give their time on Easter Monday that the event is possible. So this truly is an event for the children in Penticton by the youth in Penticton."
And while the day often bordered on straight-up craziness, the participating kids somehow maintained their good manners even during the utter madness of the egg hunts. Not once did they trample on this photographer as he lay on the ground directly in their path. And for that, they should be commended.
