Saturday’s rain held off for two of the three hours scheduled for Bryant Commons’ first public event, an Easter egg roll. Children as young as toddlers began lining up with their parents by 10:30 a.m. at the activities.
“Most of our events are sporting events,” said Katrina Barrow, program assistant with the Hinesville Downtown Development Authority.
Barrow said the rules of the egg roll were simple. Rather than racing to gather hidden eggs, kids roll a plastic egg with a long wooden spoon down their lane. The first child to cross the finish line and sit down wins.
“This will be our first time at an Easter egg roll,” explained Machelle Jefferson as her daughter, Lachelle, 7, had her face painted. “It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of an Easter egg roll.”
The face painting station was sponsored by Fort Stewart’s Sergeant Audie Murphy Club.
While her daughter, Miah Desga, 6, attempted for a third time to get her egg down the lane without going outside the yellow lines, Rebeka Gonzalez said she had never heard of an egg roll either. After she finally crossed the finish line, Miah smiled when asked if she was having fun. “Uh huh,” she said.
Perhaps the favorite station was the Bunny Spot, which was sponsored by The Heritage Bank. John Crowley said he came up with the name, noting there was no “spot,” just five rabbits kids anxiously waited to pet.
“I don’t know what kind of rabbits they are,” Crowley admitted, as he held a tiny black bunny. “This one and that one over there look like normal rabbits, but those three in the pen look like guinea pigs.”
Crowley said he had already gotten good homes for each of the bunnies.
At 11 a.m., children gathered under the amphitheater to hear author Stephanie Sisler read from her children’s books, “Matthew’s Monster” and “One Bright Monster.” Sisler, who grew up in Hinesville and graduated from Liberty High School, is a teacher living in Cocoa Beach, Fla.
The kite flying station attracted mostly older children. Jason Lee, owner of Jungle Jake’s hobby shop in Hinesville, helped Ja’veon Bacon, 12, get his kite off the ground then offered tips for how to get the red, white and blue kite to sail higher.