1,000 eggs found in Wheatfield

Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, April 5, 2007

The First prize Easter basket winners in the 9-12 age range were Thaja Jones and Justin Dworzanski. Presenting the prizes from left to right are: Councilmen Larry Helwig and Gil Doucet, the Easter Bunny, Recreation Director Ed Sturgeon, Supervisor Timothy Demler and Miss Wheatfield 2006 Sarah Alexander.

On Saturday, March 31, the town of Wheatfield held its annual Easter egg hunt. The newspaper and the sign on the door stated the hunt started at 10 a.m., but at 9:30 the more than 300 Wheatfield youths created a line outside the Wheatfield Community/Senior Center.

As the doors opened, several lines formed at the registration tables, where the youths were given tickets to be eligible for the drawing of six prizes of Easter baskets. Afterwards, they scampered outside to awaiting hay piles. Soon, the kids were hunting, searching, locating and stumbling through the hay until they found their allotted eggs filled with candy and surprises.

Inside the center, donuts, juice, and coffee were available to all in attendance. For over an hour, two lines formed across the entire width of the building, one line to receive balloon sculptures and the other to greet the special guest, the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny was accessible for pictures and handshakes the duration of the party. Balloons in the forms of bunnies, fish, poodles, space guns among others were created by Jan (Twilight), and Kim. There was also a jar full of jellybeans that served as “guess the number of beans“ contest.

Sisters Bailey, age 5, and Sydney Priebe, age 6, from Cleveland, visit the Easter Bunny.

The winners of the Easter baskets and the jellybean contest were announced at the close of the party. Emily Schuster had an amazing guess of 1,310 jellybeans; 1,318 was the actual amount. The basket winners were as follows: girls 4 and under, Kesey Tyler; boys 4 and under, Nathan Morgan; girls 5-8, Alyssa Martin; boys 5-8, Mark Lyidle; girls 9-12, Thaja Jones; boys 9-12, Justin Dworzanski.

The Wheatfield Youth Committee and the Wheatfield Recreation Department extended its thanks to the more than 500 in attendance for making the 2007 Easter egg hunt an enormous success. Special thanks were extended to Girl Scout Troop 142 for their dedicated assistance with this event.

The Easter Bunny visits Wheatfield resident Harry Winkie, Alterra resident, who is 94 years young.