By Donald Wittkowski
During the summer, their brightly colored plastic buckets help them to build sand castles on the beach.
But on Wednesday evening, those same buckets were used by many children for a much more important purpose – to haul away loads of chocolates and other treats brought by the Easter bunny.
“Candy!” Claire Traver, 7, exclaimed when asked what she was thinking about minutes before the Easter egg hunt began at the former Sea Isle City Public School.
“I want jelly beans,” Danny Viscanti, 5, blurted out.
Claire and Danny were part of a group of 10 cousins from Blue Bell, Pa., who took part in Sea Isle’s annual Easter egg hunt, a community tradition that dates back more than 50 years.
“It’s definitely a family atmosphere,” Lisa Traver, Claire’s mother, said of the event. “We love it. The kids love it. There’s lots to do for families in Sea Isle. Now, we’re just waiting for the warm weather.”
Traver, who just bought a summer home in Sea Isle, also brought her sons Matt, 9, Michael, 5, and Will, 2, to the Easter egg hunt, along with Claire and their cousins.
Matt Traver was lucky enough to find one of the coveted golden eggs, which allowed him to win a specially made Easter gift basket containing a basketball, a soccer ball and candy.
“I got the golden egg,” he said proudly.
Matt revealed that he had a strategy for grabbing as many eggs and as much candy as possible. Who could blame him? There was plenty of competition.
In all, hundreds of children marched inside the school carrying plastic buckets, wicker baskets, canvas tote bags and even a big trash bag or two to help them scoop up the Easter goodies that covered the gymnasium floor.
When the kids were given the go-ahead, they swept through the gym in one giant wave, frantically grabbing the wrapped candy and plastic eggs before someone else could beat them to it. The mad scramble was all over in just a minute or two, when the very last treats were gone.
“It’s good,” said Brynn Cunningham, a 6-year-old from Sea Isle who wasted no time before she started munching on some of the chewy candy and chocolates that filled her pink Easter basket.
Brynn and her 4-year-old sister, Keira, who were accompanied by their parents, Kelly and Joe Cunningham, also got to meet the Easter bunny.
“He gives you lots of Easter eggs,” Keira said of the bunny. “He’s funny.”
The fuzzy, costumed bunny roamed the school’s hallways to greet all of the children and pose for pictures. Children also had the opportunity to get their faces painted.
The Easter egg hunt was open to kids up to 11 years old. They were divided into age groups of 3 and under, 4 to 7 and 8 to 11.
Before the doors to the school were opened at around 5 p.m., long lines of children streamed down the steps and along the sidewalks.
The Easter egg hunt was sponsored by Sea Isle’s Department of Recreation. Katherine Custer, the city’s public information officer, said the event dates back more than 50 years and annually attracts several hundred children from not only Sea Isle, but well beyond.
“We get people from far and wide,” Custer said. “It’s very popular.”
