It’s Spring and the Easter Bunny Has Some Major Hopping To Do

by Carole A. Lane on March 20th, 2008

Easter will be celebrated in a big way around San Diego County, with services at Christian churches throughout the land and Easter brunches at many restaurants.

If you’re wondering where the Easter Bunny will be hiding his eggs this year, they’ll be here, there and everywhere, with Easter egg hunts, festivals, bonnet contests, and more all weekend. He’ll have some serious hopping to do if he’s going to make it to all of these celebrations. This is where you can get in on the fun:

Saturday

Grab your Easter basket and head to the Hilton San Diego Resort for the 35th Annual Easter Egg Hunt and Luncheon held by Easter Seals of Southern California. Children of all abilities including those with autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, along with their families, are invited to hunt for thousands of colorful plastic eggs filled with candy. After the hunt, all will enjoy a luncheon and entertainment. Be sure to make a reservation to participate by calling Tracy Gordon at (858) 357-3002.

The City of Encinitas will also host an Easter Egg Hunt Festival at Ecke Sports Park, where they will provide free crafts for the kids, entertainment, prizes, pictures with the Easter bunny, face painting and Easter egg hunts with 24,000 eggs (with start times based on age). For more information please call (760) 633-2760.

The 13th Annual Easter Bonnet Parade & Hat Contest will be held at Petco Park. This event kicks off with a Hat-Making workshop from nationally renowned millinery instructor and hat designer, Diana Cavagnaro, followed by a contest and a “Sidewalk Stroll” parade. After the contest and parade, there will be an Easter egg hunt for children 2-12, with over 6,000 M&M filled eggs just waiting to be found. There will be live entertainment, dancing, educational activities, San Diego Museum exhibits, Sea World’s educators answering questions about marine life, childhood safety by Officer Mark Gregg from San Diego’s own Highway Patrol, and much more! All proceeds from this event will benefit the UCSD Medical Center Hillcrest, Hematology/Oncology Department of Pediatrics Research. For more information please call (619) 233-5008 or (619) 239-4287.

The City of Vista’s Easter Celebration will once again take place at Brengle Terrace Park. This is Vista’s “Eggstraordinary” Egg Hunt, which will include a bonnet contest, an Easter egg hunt, various arts and crafts projects, family games and more! For more information please call (760) 639-6151.

Carlsbad’s EGGstravaganza Spring Festival will be held at Poinsettia Park. This festival will include live music, fun games, exciting arts and crafts, and food. Also included are an amazing magic show, bounce houses, a giant slide, and a chance to “soak the bunny.” This year, instead of an egg hunt, they will be featuring a fun “Egg Scramble” activity. No need to rush to get to the event on time; the “Egg Scramble” will be ongoing from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. In the interest of safety and fairness, children ages 2-5 years old will participate on one field and children 6-9 years old will participate on another. Groups of about 20 kids at a time will surround the perimeter fence line waiting for the whistle which will launch them on a scramble to collect as many eggs as they can until they are gone. For more information on the event please call Melissa Carreon at (760) 602-7512 or e-mail Mcarr@ci.carlsbad.ca.us.

The Carlsbad Premium Outlets will also host a Spring Hunt with hundreds of eggs hidden throughout the outlet center, and the Easter Bunny will be available for photos.

In Del Mar, an Easter Egg Hunt will be held at Seagrove Park, but this event required an RSVP by March 10. If you have a reservation, bring your camera for photos with the Easter Bunny.

A Breakfast with the Easter Bunny and an Easter Egg-stravaganza will be held on Coronado Island, including a life-sized Candyland Game, Easter crafts, carnival games, on-going Egg Hunts for specific age groups, and a visit with the Easter Bunny.

At the Heritage Park County Park and Victorian Village in Old Town, everyone is invited to join the park rangers for some old-fashioned fun! You can make a colorful bouquet of paper flowers and participate in the egg hunt and relays. For information, call (619) 291-9784.

In Oceanside, the city will host its Annual Egg Hunt for ages 3 to 11, featuring a visit from the Easter Bunny and candy-filled eggs and prizes. The event is free and will be held at Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

In addition, the Eastside United Community Action group, the NAACP and the city will host a 15th Annual Free Hunt for ages 3 to 12 at Balderrama Park.

The Fallbrook Community Center and Fallbrook Firefighters Association will sponsor their Annual Pancake Breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt. After breakfast, they’re expecting a visit from the Easter Bunny, followed by the egg hunt (prizes in three age brackets) and games. The event will be held at the Fallbrook Community Center.

San Marcos’ Annual Easter Egg Hunt is set for Walnut Grove Park, starting with a pancake breakfast with Peter Cottontail. Toddlers through fifth-graders can hunt for eggs and can get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Carnival games and a bounce house will be offered.

Poway will host its annual Springtime Celebration and Egg Hunt in Community Park. Poway Rotary Club will host a pancake breakfast beginning and a Bunny Fun Zone, with free games, a bounce house, crafts and photos with Benny and Bonnie Bunny. Children ages 3 to 8 can participate in a free egg hunt every 30 minutes.

Ramona’s Annual Egg Hunt will be held at Dos Picos County Park, and will feature competitions for three age brackets (up to 2; 3 to 5; and 6 and up) as well as a visit from the Easter Bunny.

Chula Vista’s 2nd Annual Spring Carnival will take place at Salt Creek Center, with games, prizes, food and fun for the entire family.

Children won’t be the only ones in for Easter egg hunt fun. Dogs will be encouraged to uncover hidden plastic eggs filled with dog treats during Easter Pawty II at Muttropolis La Jolla. Jen Petit from Fuzzle will be on hand taking photos. For information, call (858) 459-9663.

The city recreation centers will all hold Easter egg hunts and celebrations this weekend as well, including:

Sunday

Hornblower Cruises invite you to celebrate Easter Sunday on the beautiful San Diego Bay. Hornblower’s family-friendly two-hour Easter Brunch Cruise features a brunch buffet, free-flowing champagne and a visit by the Easter Bunny. For information and reservations, call (888) 467-6256; www.hornblowerholidays.com.

Life Christian Church will host an Easter egg hunt, with more than 50,000 candy-filled eggs on the lawn at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. The egg hunt will begin at noon, following a 10:30 a.m. Easter Sunday service at the arts center. Children who attend the service get front-of-the-line privileges for the egg hunt, which usually draws up to 2,000 people.

If you’d like to work off a bit of your pancake breakfast or all of that Easter candy, take a nice Easter ride for 84 miles with the San Diego Bicycle Touring Society, with lunch in Bonsall. Call (619) 561-3846 for information.

All Weekend

Las Americas Premium Outlets will be celebrating Easter weekend with a visit from the Easter Bunny, outside of the food court. Bring your camera for this great photo opportunity, and collect a surprise from the Easter Bunny.

All Month

Three hundred fragrant Easter lilies are in bloom and on display through April 16 at the Botanical Building in Balboa Park.

Tags: bonnet, brunch, bunny, carlsbad, contest, easter, egg, hornblower cruise, hunt, las americas, lilies, muttropolis, parade, premium outlets

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