By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Harper Paquette’s eyes seemingly grew wider and wider as he gazed up in disbelief at the colossal figure who towered above him like Mount Everest.
“What do you think?” his mother, Laura Paquette, of Sweetwater, N.J., asked her son while he stared at Mackie the Stiltwalker.
Harper, just 4 years old, couldn’t find the words to answer his mom.
Somehow, though, Harper summoned the courage to high-five with the stiltwalker. Well, truth be told, it was more like a low-five, because the 8-foot, 4-inch Mackie bent down to exchange greetings with the pint-sized kid.
Mackie the Stiltwalker was part of an array of children’s entertainment at Excursion Park on Saturday during Sea Isle City’s inaugural Spring Fling Family Fun Day, a kickoff to Easter weekend that drew hundreds of kids and their parents.
Chris Oney, Sea Isle’s tourism representative, characterized the Spring Fling festival as a big success that city officials are already thinking of making an annual event.
“Amazing,” Oney said. “We had a huge crowd, certainly bigger than expected, but not overwhelming. At first, we had no idea what to expect. But everybody is having fun and everything is going smoothly.”
Mackie dressed up for the holiday with a colorful costume featuring an elaborate Easter bonnet that teetered on his head, an Easter egg necklace, pink jacket and even some yellow, bunny-style earrings.
“I think everybody is having a good time,” Mackie said.
Besides the obvious question of “How tall are you?” Mackie said the kids seemed most interested in asking him about his Easter bonnet.
“They keep saying, ‘Why is your hat so big?’” he said with a laugh.
Kids and their parents also enjoyed an afternoon of other free, family-friendly activities such as face-painting, egg and spoon races, a jelly bean counting contest, crafts and a Dress to Impress Easter Stroll.
And, of course, there was a special appearance by the Easter Bunny, who posed for photos and entertained the crowds by dancing on the stage of the Band Shell at Excursion Park.
“I like Easter because it’s fun collecting eggs. I also got to high-five the Easter Bunny,” 7-year-old Aiden Kwiatanowski exclaimed after having his picture taken with the famous rabbit.
Aiden’s mother, Krista Kwiatanowski, of Haddon Township, N.J., said the sunny skies, mild temperatures and the Spring Fling festival made for the ideal weekend day at the shore.
“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s a beautiful day, almost like you’re on the beach.”
Louis and Danielle Pagnoni, of Garnet Valley, Pa., watched in amusement while their 11-year-old son, Louis IV, and daughters, Gemma, 8, and Mia, 5, got their faces painted.
“We just like it because we’ve had a lot of options for the kids,” Danielle Pagnoni said of the festival’s entertainment.
Her son, Louis, got his face painted like a skeleton. Gemma’s face was painted like a magical mermaid and Mia was a flower fairy.
The Pagnonis were celebrating Easter visiting with family for a weekend getaway at the shore. After the children had their faces painted, the family was planning to get some fudge and take a walk on the beach.
Spring Fling Family Fun Day is one of two new free events that Sea Isle’s Tourism Office has organized this year as part of the city’s lineup of family entertainment for the spring and summer.
The other new event is “Carnival by the Sea,” set for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., on Friday, July 22, at Excursion Park.
Katherine Custer, Sea Isle’s director of Community Services, praised the Tourism Office’s Chris Oney and Trish Jackson for coming up with fresh ideas and events to attract more families to the resort. She noted that city officials were particularly pleased with the Spring Fling Family Fun Day.
“For an inaugural event, we’re very happy with the turnout,” Custer said. “We’re very happy with the work of the Tourism Office to make it a reality. Easily, we had hundreds of children and their families.”
Custer joined Oney in stating the city’s intention to bring back the Spring Fling festival in 2023.
“Definitely,” Oney said. “It will be a little bigger for next year.”
