When rain put a damper on the outdoor Easter egg hunt, the Easter Bunny and helpers took things inside and made sure each child left with a bag of Easter treats. From left: Winston Bailey, The Easter Bunny, and Payton Bailey. Tinkess Photo

AVONMORE – It will take more than a bit of rain to put a damper on events that take place in Avonmore, and Sat., April 19 was a perfect example.

A joint effort between the Roxborough Agricultural Society (RAS) and the Avonmore Community Athletic Association (ACAA) was planned to celebrate the Easter holiday, with the RAS hosting the Easter Breakfast, while the ACAA hosted the Easter Egg hunt.

Since the breakfast was an indoor activity, it went off without a hitch, and volunteers were busy all morning serving up a scrumptious breakfast that included ham, sausages, beans, scrambled eggs, hashbrown potatoes, pancakes, and a selection of hot and cold beverages. There was little chance that anyone who came for the breakfast would be thinking about lunch till well into the afternoon.

The heavy rain that occurred overnight and into the morning, however, made a bit of a change necessary in the planned Easter egg hunt. The decision was to remain inside, but the Easter Bunny was still in attendance, handing out treat bags to each of the children. Easter egg hunts are fun for those doing the hunting as well as for their family members who get to witness it, but all things considered, this was a pretty good compromise.

David Wattie, President of the Roxborough Agricultural Society was pleased with the number of people who had already shown up shortly after 9:00 a.m. “It’s good, but we’re just getting started,” said Wattie. “The big crowds will show up in the next half hour or so.”

It can be difficult to plan on how many people will attend events like this, but he was confident that they would be around 100 or so.

All proceeds from the breakfast goes to the RAS in general. “We have this event, the Canada Day breakfast, and then the fair itself,” added Wattie. “We also do a few other events over the year as well. The big one we started last year was the murder mystery dinner, which was a really good success.”

The fair, however, is the Society’s jewel, and planning for next year starts even before the current fair is packed away. They are always looking at ways to make things better for the people who attend, and this year they are going to try selling tickets in advance.

With the rain continuing on and off, the ACAA made the decision to stay inside, and as soon as the Easter Bunny appeared, so did a steady line of children eager to say hello and receive their treat bag. Judging by the smiles on the children’s faces, this met with their approval.

There are so many small communities in eastern Ontario, and each one is just a little bit different, but one thing they have in common is the effort of the volunteers to work together to help create memories and encourage others to do the same.