With thousands of scrambling children chased by parents staring into their cellphone cameras, the Easter Bunny needed his own security detail Saturday at Patriots Park in Grovetown.
The bunny was actually a costumed 15-year-old Jacob Powell. As the swarm of kids moved in, he went from a friendly wave to a frozen, worried look.
“Get the Easter Bunny out now,” a woman with a bullhorn yelled at Jacob’s brother, Luke Powell, 13.
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Luke led his brother away, and the children snatched up 42,000 plastic eggs filled with candy and other prizes.
“I actually like Easter,” yelled Aiden Acosta, 6, as he pushed his loose-fitting purple and white bunny ears back on top of his head. “Yeah, you get chocolate and candies.”
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Saturday’s Easter Egg Scramble was put on by the Columbia County Recreation and Parks Department and was free. It was to start at 10 a.m., but was delayed because of thunderstorms. The damp grass and rain delay didn’t seem to dampen the kids’ enthusiasm.
“We just enjoy providing an opportunity for the community to get out and enjoy the outdoors,” said Madison Lott, 21, the marketing manager for the parks department.
It was a good time for family bonding. LeGarde Doughty, of Evans, and his friend Patrick Gilmer, of Augusta, brought their daughters Stella Doughty, 3, and Gianna Gilmer, 4, in matching lavender princess dresses and pink and gold unicorn horns.
Rick Athearn, 53, and his fiancé Sara Salvesen, 35, who was seven-months pregnant, stood in the middle of the chaos as Salvesen’s two daughters, Willow, 5, and Mariah, 9, filled their baskets with plastic eggs.
“We’re doing this for the kids,” Athearn said.
“And we tried to do something to bond over this baby,” Salvesen said. “We’re having a baby girl, and he’s so happy.”
