Kenneth Rhiel, left, and Kellie Rhiel pose with ‘Mr. Chunkers’ books at the Luzerne Merchants Association’s ‘Egg-Stravaganza’ event on Saturday.
The Easter Bunny poses for photos at Luzerne Merchants Association’s “Egg-Stravaganza” event
Hannah Simerson | Times Leader
Luzerne Merchants Association hosts Easter egg hunt
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LUZERNE — On Saturday, the Luzerne Merchants Association held an Easter “Egg-Stravaganza” event for the community.
The event, which drew crowds of all ages, featured egg hunts, a coloring contest, a meet and greet with the Easter Bunny, food trucks, raffles, music, and JustinCredible, a balloon twister.
Due to the weather, the “Egg-Stravaganza” moved indoors to the Luzerne Fire Hall.
Entry to the event was free for all ages, and there were separate egg hunts for different age levels.
Four egg hunts occurred throughout the day for ages three and under, four to six, seven to nine, and 10 to 11.
Amidst the busy egg hunt, vendors and food trucks offered sweets, food, and even two Easter books available for purchase from the author, Kellie Rhiel.
The books, aptly titled “Mr. Chunkers’s Busy Bunny Day” and “The Busy Bunny with Mr. Chunkers,” are based on a real-life bunny that lives at the children’s consignment store, Tiny Trends, on Main Street. in Luzerne.
In addition to the vendors, the event also ran raffles, with prizes including various chocolate items and candy baskets.
According to Alyssa Fusaro and Joanna Martin, event coordinators for the Luzerne Merchants Association, the “Egg-Stravaganza” was created to create some normalcy following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s about getting the kids out, getting them involved, getting them happy again. Also, getting the parents involved in some of the community activities,” said Fusaro.
At the heart of the event was a desire to have members of the community gather in order to celebrate not only the upcoming Easter holiday, but also to celebrate the ability to do so again.
“We wanted to bring the community back together again,” said Martin.
Children lined up in droves to meet the Easter Bunny, who posed for photos throughout the event.
JustinCredible, a local balloon twister, offered a variety of over 100 balloon animals for the children to choose from later in the afternoon. Balloon penguins, unicorns, and octopi filled the fire hall for the remainder of the event.
Attendees appeared to enjoy the Easter celebration, as children and adults alike mingled throughout the fire hall.
Krystal Pope, whose son was eagerly anticipating the egg hunt, was glad the community was able to come together.
“I like seeing everyone come around for it,” she said. “They brought it inside and it’s still nice.”
The Luzerne Merchants Association has plans to host future events, such as movies in the park, trunk or treat, fall fair, hometown Christmas, and more.
For future event details, follow the association’s Facebook page.