MANCHESTER – It was partly overcast and breezy outside but inside the community center meeting room in Town Hall, it was a perfect spring day and a perfect place for an Easter event.
That event brought a whole lot of children inside the building seeking the coveted prize of a golden egg Easter basket plus a photo opportunity with a certain white-haired hare.
Numerous children ages 2-10 and their families entered the room adorned with colorful paper plates arranged as spring flowers. Given the gray and rainy weather of the day prior, which forced the postponement of Easter Egg hunts in surrounding communities, the Manchester Township Recreation chose a good day for the event which was always planned as an inside activity.
Recreation Director Tracey Lynch told The Manchester Times that this year’s event called for “month long preparation and we only had two hours to transform the civic center into our Recreation Easter Garden before the guests arrived.”
Lynch added, “we had 152 kids registered and Mayor (Joseph) Hankins and Councilwoman Sandy Drake were in attendance. We had the Manchester Township High School Honor Society students come out to volunteer to assist along with several township employees.”
Also in attendance were a number of Manchester police officers who helped by giving out candy, police badge stickers and other various items. Lynch said the “Manchester Municipal Alliance donated candy and pictures were taken with the Easter Bunny.”
“Each child received a bucket with toy- and candy-filled eggs, free popcorn for everyone and each child also had a chance to win the Grand Prize Golden Egg basket in their age group,” Lynch added.
Mayor Hankins, Councilwoman Drake, two police officers and Lynch had their photo with the Easter Bunny. The Bunny made no comment on the price of eggs this year.
Lynch added, “We had a lot of really nice feedback from the parents at Sunday’s visit with the Easter Bunny. They all commented that their children had a great time. They were very appreciative for all that we do for the children.”
“It’s also so nice that the Manchester High School students are so involved with our Recreation events. They are always such a huge help,” Lynch added.
The Recreation Department is gearing up for Manchester Day on June 28. Manchester Day is a township tradition that features a family-friendly event at Harry Wright Lake, 1501 Lake Road in Whiting.
The event will start at 2 p.m. and runs all day, featuring the musical entertainment of “Kickin’ Wing” and concluding with fireworks at dusk.
It will include rides and games for both children and adults to enjoy, demonstrations and prizes, as well as food and snacks from a wide variety of vendors. For additional information call 732-657-8121 ext. 5102,5101 or e-mail recreation@manchestertwp.com.
Coming up at 10 a.m. on May 26 is the township’s annual Memorial Day Parade at the World War II Memorial Park in Whiting.
