Hundreds show up for annual Easter egg hunt at Mill Creek MetroParks
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
When he’s in school, 10-year-old Sean Baxter enjoys reading and participating in science experiments.
The scientific process behind the Burghill boy’s amassing lots of candy was quite simple: come to an Easter egg hunt with a basket, wait for the countdown and go after as many goodies as possible in an allotted time.
“I got Twizzlers; I got Starbursts; I got lollipops; and I got potato chips,” the proud Badger Elementary School fourth-grader said as he ticked off the main items that filled his basket.
Sean and his sister, Ella, 5, were among those who took part in Saturday’s annual Easter Eggstravaganza at Mill Creek MetroParks’ James L. Wick Jr. Recreation Area off McCollum Road on the West Side.
An estimated 800 children age 2 to 10 and adults attended the gathering, said Carol Vigorito, Mill Creek Metro-Parks’ recreational program and education manager.
Sean, who listed swimming, reading, riding his bicycle and visiting his local library as favorite activities, collected
one pink and one blue egg during the hunt to complement his trove of treats.
Ella, however, had a basket filled to the brim with colored eggs that contained small chocolate candies. After quickly opening her eggs, the Badger Elementary kindergartner excitedly rummaged through the rest of her basket to see additional small chocolate bars, Tootsie Rolls and other sweets.
Sean and Ella came with their mother, Maxine Baxter, who, along with her husband, Brian Baxter, started Joy Ministries, a nondenominational church in Sharon, Pa. The couple opened the church in September 2012, she said.
This year, Easter Sunday will be special for Maxine for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that March 31 also is her birthday.
“We plan to celebrate Resurrection Sunday, have dinner with family and celebrate my birthday,” she said of the family’s plans.
Of course, no egg hunt would be complete without an appearance from the Easter bunny, who showed up to pose and interact with the youngsters.
Among those happy to have spent part of their morning with the famous Easter figure were Cora Taylor, 3, and her 4-year-old sister, Alex, of Liberty, who came with their father, Paddy Taylor.
Also having her picture taken with the Easter bunny was 3-year-old Fiona McCormick of Youngstown, who was with her parents, Dan and Sara McCormick. They are friends of the Taylor family.
Vigorito said she was extremely pleased with Saturday’s turnout in spite of temperatures in the mid-30s and a brisk wind.
“We do it rain, shine, snow, whatever. In fact, I thought it would be snow yesterday,” she said, noting that the event has been going on at least 25 years and is always the day before Palm Sunday.
A handful of eggs contained numbers that corresponded to donated gift baskets and other smaller prizes, she noted.
Vigorito also praised the estimated 25 volunteers whose tasks included filling the eggs, erecting flagging tape that defined the perimeters of the three hunts designated by age and distributing the candy and eggs.