Easter Egg Hunts hit a high note among area youngsters

BREWSTER – Kids by the carload with patient parents in tow turned out for Easter Egg Hunts from Pateros to Mansfield last weekend as the Brewster Boys and Girls Club, Bridgeport Eagles, Mansfield Lions, and Howard’s on the River in Pateros each held its own event.
The largest turnout was at the Brewster Boys and Girls Club (BBGC), where activities got underway as pictures with the Easter Bunny beginning at 8:30 a.m. kept the youngsters occupied until the egg hunt started 10 a.m.
The Hermanos del Arte Lodge #314 was once again the principle sponsor along with the Les Schwab Tire Center’s manager Brian Biggerstaff, said BBGC Director, Brian Paine, who organized the club’s second annual hunt. Paine managed to find space on a wet and soggy playfield to tape off three sites appropriate to age groups from zero to 10 years old.
Despite the wet conditions, “the turnout was good and the weather was great,” Pains said.
Enrique Sanchez, three, son of Alex and Carmen Sanchez of Brewster, and two-year-old Andy Ruiz with his parents, were among the first wave of youngsters in the 0-3 age group set loose.
 “The Easter Bunny was a big hit,” said Paine “and will probably be back next year.”
Miriam Garcia hopes so. The two-year-old Brewster girls was seen being held by the big rabbit out on the playfield.
The pace was a little slower and the crowd a little smaller- but not so the excitement - at the Marina Park in Bridgeport where Eagles Aerie 995 volunteers held their Easter Egg Hunt at 11 a.m.
Youngsters, separated by age groups to give every child a chance to find treasure, scoured the grounds and turned in special prize eggs in trade for large goody-filled baskets for the lucky winners. Marissa Martinez, 6, was one of those, as was Marley Condon, 8 and 10-year-old Ian Devios.
“We have been doing this off and on for 10 or 15 years,” said Eagles secretary, Barbara Baughman, as she and Eagles president, Pamela Stokes, handed out winning baskets.
At the same time, the Mansfield Lions were making the day special for a crowd of youngsters in the city’s Blue Stem Park.
Howard’s on the River held its Easter Egg Hunt at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 16, in Lakeshore Park.
With the help of volunteers from AmeriCorps/National Civilian Community Corps, egg hunters from toddlers to 10-year-olds all got in on the fun.  
Edith Gomez brought her son, 11-month-old Enrique Pamatz, for his first Easter Egg Hunt, but the toddler seemed to be more fascinated by the bright green basket lining than anything else.