Hundreds of children, parents, grandparents and friends packed into the Moose Lodge on Oakland Road on Friday for what organizer Joanna Moggy called the first annual Good Friday Easter Egg Roll.
Moggy told ElliotLakeToday she was thrilled at the community and volunteer support for the first event.
Some 400 children were on hand on Good Friday.
Moggy said there are plans to make it an annual free event. Children hunted for Easter eggs in a bouncy castle set up in Moose Lodge, got their pictures taken with the Easter bunny and enjoyed games, snacks and prizes. Candy, Easter eggs, peanuts and other goodies were hidden in the inflated vinyl castle. The Easter bunny brought his eggs and a chance for photos with the kids from the Claire Dimock Children’s Centre.
Moggy said the event would not have been possible without volunteers and corporate donors like North Bay's Reptile Adventure Camp with its free show aimed at education and conservation. It featured information and presentations involving arachnids, amphibians, turtles, tortoises, snakes and lizards.
High-school volunteers like Kyla and Kaly Dumas provided free face painting. Other support came from Penny Bain, Dave Sutcliff, Cory Dumas, Sarah Pearse, Moose Lodge administrator Gerry McGrath, Karen Bristow, Jo-Anne Dupont Horvath and others.
Candy donations came from Lyle's No Frills, Foodland, Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart and the Dollar With More Store. Mish Mash and the Dawg House sold their wares on site.
All proceeds from Easter Bunny photos were for Elliot Lake's Claire Dimock Children's Centre at 12 Westhill Rd.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify that proceeds from Easter Bunny photos, and not the entire event, were for the Claire Dimock Children's Centre