COURTESY FAIR HAVEN
The Fair Haven Recreation Department left bags of filled plastic Easter eggs at borough hall for residents to take and use during an April 4 virtual Easter egg hunt.
By Allison Perrine
FAIR HAVEN – With national orders to continue social distancing through April 30, Easter will have to be celebrated without the typical outdoor egg hunts with extended family, neighbors or community members.
It can, however, include some virtual holiday fun.
With federal and state mandates in mind, recreation department heads in the Two River area got to thinking: What can be done with thousands of plastic eggs and holiday treats, without the large crowds or gatherings?
In Fair Haven it meant a virtual egg hunt for the town, free of charge. According to DJ Breckenridge, parks and recreation director, over 5,000 eggs were distributed to Fair Haven residents of all ages. Most of them, about 80 percent, were filled with candy. The other 20 percent were filled with toys from the Georgia-based company Ayers Family Eggs.
“In these difficult times, the borough seeks to continue to engage our community, and keep our ‘family feel’ while maintaining social distancing,” said Breckenridge. “If this event and other programming we are rolling out gives families just a little something to look forward to, we have done what we have set out to do.”
Participating residents were able to pick up their goodies in the front vestibule at borough hall. Each household was eligible for one bag with 15 filled Easter eggs in each bag. The hunt will be held April 4 at 10 a.m in the comfort of everyone’s homes.
To make this a community event, each household is asked to record a 5 to 10-second video of their hunt and email it to recreation@fhboro.net. The video can include activities such the hunt itself or children counting their eggs after the hunt. The recreation department will then compile the clips into one Fair Haven Virtual Egg Hunt video for all to enjoy. It will be uploaded to borough media outlets.
And get creative with it, the department encouraged. “We want to see those backyard Easter decorations, unique child (or family) outfits, out-of-the-box egg hiding places and maybe even an appearance by the Easter Bunny himself.”
Council president Susan Sorensen said Breckenridge has done an “excellent” job in coming up with community-focused activities that maintain social distancing, the virtual egg hunt included.
“We all realize that in times like these, we all really need our sense of community and being able to interact with neighbors, friends and family members more than ever, but are unable to do these things in person,” said Sorensen. “Our recreation department is working hard to maintain Fair Haven’s sense of community through these ‘virtual’ activities – and to have some fun during these trying times.”
That includes the borough’s Daily Challenge. Every day for three weeks, which started March 30, residents are invited to submit their best pictures or videos of specific challenges that the borough announces. That might include the funniest pet photo, the best sports trick shot, Fair Haven’s Got Talent and more. The challenge of the day is posted every morning on Facebook, Instagram and the Fair Haven Recreation E-blast. There are four winners each day – child, adult, family and random draw. Prizes include gift certificates to Fair Haven eateries.
Residents are also encouraged to take advantage of the three walking trails in town, walk through the borough’s natural area and access the borough’s free online video activity resources.
Outside Fair Haven, Highlands Borough and its recreation department are also taking part in the virtual Easter fun with virtual Candy Bingo, instead of the annual Easter egg hunt on the beach.
Highlands residents ages 14 and under can register for free through League Apps, an electronic management system. Once registered, parents will receive Bingo cards electronically or by porch delivery, as well as electronic invitations to where the activity will be hosted and streamed with chat capabilities, said Jacqueline Kane, Highlands recreation program coordinator.
An electronic calling system will be used for the Bingo. When a person wins Bingo, the first person to type it in the chat will win. Once the win is confirmed, based on the Bingo card code each board has, boards will be cleared and a new round will begin.
And the best part? The Easter Bunny will deliver small candy prizes to the porches of Bingo winners! But the borough asks that parents do not meet the Easter Bunny at the porch for social distancing.
“We encourage them to stand inside by the front door or window and the Easter Bunny will stop for a wave and photo before hopping to the next house,” said Kane.
This article originally appeared in the April 2nd, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
