SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Last year’s Easter celebrations – like so much else – were quick to go in North Syracuse amid waves of closures, cancellations, and COVID-19 cases. That included the annual Bunny Breakfast, which for years brought smiles to the faces of the village’s youngest residents, along with the North Syracuse Family Festival and dozens of other local events.
Now, a full year later, the village is bringing the bunny back – albeit in slightly different form. If you were to stop by Lonergan Park on this sunny morning, you’d see a lineup of cars driven by smiling parents, kids in tow. It’s the pandemic staple: we’ve had drive-through groceries, drive-through restaurants, and now this, the drive-through Easter Bunny.
“Getting kids out and about and bringing the community together again is what we’re looking to do,” says Parks and Recreation Director Anthony Burkinshaw.
He’s quick to mention his favorite part of the day: the smiles on children’s faces as they greet their Easter hero. It’s a sentiment echoed by other volunteers, including Jennika Williams, a member of local teen group CanTeen.
“Just seeing their faces,” she says, smiling at a passing car.
Williams is volunteering at the drive-through, greeting attendees and helping the bunny – another CanTeen member – with her suit. They say that the group, which offers support, study help, and community involvement opportunities, has become their home away from home.
“It’s provided a really safe place for me, and a great place to meet other people,” Williams says.
CanTeen is partnering with Parks and Recreation and the Family Festival to make sure the drive-through’s attendees get a taste of Easter after a difficult year. And there are hundreds of them; car-after-car, smile-after-smile, “happy Easter”-after-“happy Easter.”
