By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
For a while last Saturday (April 19), it appeared that few people remembered the fun they once shared when Easter in the Park rolled around each year.
As the clock ticked off the final minutes before 9 a.m.’s scheduled starting time for this year’s event, only a relative handful of people had shown up at Heritage Park for the revival of the annual holiday event, which was put on hold five years ago during the height of the COVID pandemic.
As if a floodgate had been opened, men, women and children began to materialize from every direction. Within minutes children were chasing each other through the park, coloring, playing hopscotch, tossing beanbags or creating sidewalk chalk art, all the time casting wistful glances at the hundreds of plastic eggs “hidden” in two designated areas of the park. (One was for children ages 6 and under; the other was for those ages 7-12.)
The twin Easter egg hunts were the celebration’s crowning touch. The recorded strains of “bunny songs” filled the air as dozens of youngsters clutched their Easter baskets, buckets and bags (or their mothers’ hand) as they eagerly awaited the signal to begin collecting the brightly colored, candy- and prize-filled plastic ovals.
There was a food truck set up at the park, and hungry attendees flocked to it, but as the morning began to heat up and the humidity began to rise, it was the SunnyDayz lemonade and Pepsi soft drink stands that boasted the longest lines.
A large, white Easter Bunny’s helper patrolled the grounds, sharing handshakes and hugs with kids, while two local banks and members of two civic organizations manned booths where various games were set up and prizes awarded to those who participated.
Chelsey Corey of Uriah, who was attending with her daughters — Harley (9) and Everly (7) Milstid and 1-year-old Wrynlee Loyd — for the first time, said she learned of the event’s return through a Facebook message and thought the youngsters might enjoy the community celebration.
That was also a sentiment shared by many.
“We had missed it for the past several years, and when we saw the signs that it was back, we made up our minds to come,” said Dasharell McCants as she and her daughter, Malaysia, made the rounds, surrounded by bubbles from the youngster’s handheld bubble launcher.
Addison Long, executive director of the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce, breathed a sigh of relief as the crowd continued to grow.
“We haven’t had Easter in the Park since 2020,” Long pointed out. “We’re excited to be bringing it back, and it looks like we’ve got a good crowd.”
Dawn Vaughan, president of Leadership Atmore, shared the Chamber director’s enthusiasm and said the crowd indicated that organizers should work to spice things up for future events.
“It’s amazing to see such a turnout,” said Vaughan, as a crowd estimated at “more than 200” gathered. “We did some small things this year, and we hope to add more to it next year. Maybe some local businesses will see this turnout and we’ll get more sponsors.”