Egg hunt, fun to highlight Easter event

Any La Cañada resident who may have missed Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail in his best Easter clothes will have ample opportunity to sneak a peek Saturday morning, April 23, when Dilbeck Estates Realty hosts the 16th Annual Easter in the Park at La Cañada Memorial Park. The fun gets underway at 10 a.m.

This year’s festivities in the park will be followed by a city-wide scavenger hunt, “Hop Along the Boulevard,” sponsored for the second year by the La Cañada Flintridge Merchant Connection.

Easter in the Park provides children an extravaganza of springtime festivities, including a photo opportunity with the Easter bunny, a Hat Parade and egg hunts throughout the morning. Children ages 2 to 4 can search for eggs at a 10:30 a.m. hunt, with additional hunts for children 5 to 7 and 8 to 10 to be held at 11 and 11:45 a.m., respectively. All children who participate in egg hunts or the Hat Parade will receive goodie bags filled with candy.

In addition to the main attractions, young participants can enjoy bounce houses, a petting zoo, a magic show, bunny raffles and a tree-planting demonstration presented by the U.S. Forest Service. Rumor has it that Smokey Bear might make a special appearance.

As was done last year, all proceeds raised by the event will go to the Foothill Grassroots Reforestation Project, a two-year volunteer effort to help replant more than 11,000 acres of forestland devastated by the 2009 Station fire.

The event began as a way for Dilbeck to thank its clients, but quickly grew to become a community celebration. Last year, 1,200 participants raised more than $3,000 for the replanting efforts, according to Dilbeck La Cañada Branch Manager Barry Jones. “This event has gained great traction in the community. We’re hoping we can do even more this year,” Jones said.

After the morning’s activities, festival-goers can pick up a scavenger-hunt map and head down Foothill Boulevard by foot or courtesy of a free shuttle. Participating local merchants will stamp the maps of scavengers, who can win prizes based on the number of stamps they’ve collected. Anyone with 10 or more stamps will be entered to win one of 10 grand prizes — annual family memberships to the Los Angeles Zoo.

For more information on Easter in the Park, call Dilbeck Realtors at (818) 790-6774 or visit www.dilbeck.com.