PHOTOS: Our Lady of Grace’s annual Easter Egg Hunt another hoppin’ time

It was a hoppin’ weekend for families gearing up for Easter.

Our Lady of Grace, 385 Avenue W, hosted its fifth annual Easter Fair, the highlight of which was the annual Easter Egg Hunt. On Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2, kids and their families came to enjoy food, games, an appearance by the Easter Bunny, and of course, hunting for some eggs.

Despite some rough weather on Saturday, the weekend was another success according to Mary Ann De Luca, the organizer of the event. “We had a good group of kids,” she said. “We didn’t have as many as anticipated because of the weather, but we had great vendors selling new items and we had church tables selling books and gift shop items.”

In charge of the egg hunt was Joann Cassata. Pat Marotta organized the fair. Jamie McFarland was in charge of the Italian café and Michael Demartino organized the vendors.

“They’re a huge part of the fair,” said De Luca.

The egg hunt had to be moved to Sunday afternoon because of the rainy and chilly weather. On Saturday, kids were able to mingle in the gymnasium and take pictures with the Easter Bunny.

Vendors are always a hit at the event. A group called Friends of Our Lady of Grace sold cakes and  Boy Scout leaders ran table games, and sold candy and snacks at their concession stands. The Holy Name Society also provided a cake.

“Downstairs featured the Italian café with people who volunteer to cook for anyone who wants to have breakfast, lunch and dinner,” de Luca said, adding that the yearly event means a lot to the community. “It’s great. People come from all over. One of the parents told me they look forward to it.  Last year, there was snow on the ground and we had about 38 kids.”

Along with taking photos, kids also had breakfast with the Easter Bunny. “One family with triplets came to take the photo,” De Luca said, adding that the egg hunt is the highlight of the festivities. “They love it because they can stay out there and run around for hours. We give them baskets, they collect as many eggs as they can and we give them cotton candy at the end.”