Austintown Bounce hosts Lunch with the Easter Bunny


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A pair of children got their picture taken with the Easter Bunny during the Lunch with the Easter Bunny event at Austintown Bounce.

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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Children climbed into an inflatable bounce around during the Lunch with the Easter Bunny event at Austintown Bounce.

By TIM CLEVELAND

tcleveland@vindy.com

For the past several years, Austintown Bounce has hosted a Lunch with the Easter Bunny event, in which children can play in the facility’s inflatable bounce-arounds, play other games and have their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny.

This year’s event took place April 14, with 50 children expected to attend at the 11,000-square-foot facility.

“Harold [Porter] and I being fathers and having children, we know that holidays are very important to parents and kids – the traditional Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and Halloween, so we try to have themed events throughout the year where we make things very affordable for the community to attend,” said Austintown Bounce co-owner Bruce Shepas.

The most children who have attended the event in the past has been 100. Shepas said the different school schedules in the are would hurt attendance.

“I know that Mahoning County is out of school this week, but Trumbull County is in school,” he said. “That’s not the norm, so I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out. We do pool a lot of people from the Trumbull County area.”

For the $6 admission price, children got to interact with and get their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny, win prize packages and to play the more than 45 ticket arcade games. There were also games such as hot potato with an Easter egg.

“We’ve done it in the past for several years now,” Shepas said. “It’s a function where kids can come and see the Easter Bunny. We just charge regular admission price, $6. We give them a free hot dog, free soft drink, free cookie, games and prizes.”

Susan Malysa of Boardman attended along with her children Logan and Addison.

“They wanted to bounce with the Easter Bunny,” Susan said. “We like it. They have a blast.”

“It’s awesome,” Logan said. “This is the best place in the world.”

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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Addison Malysa, 2, made her way across one of the inflatable bounce arounds during the Lunch with the Easter Bunny event at Austintown Bounce.