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Organizers credit the sunny morning with a larger than expected turnout at Saturday's Easter Egg Hunt and Marshmallow Drop.
Approximately 600 children attended the event at Frog Island, scrambling to find Easter eggs and running to get a marshmallow dropped from a hovering helicopter.
“We were really happy with the turnout,” said Carrie Crabtree, president of the Ypsilanti Area Jaycees, which has been putting on the event annually.
“We were really appreciative of the weather,” she said. “It was a really nice day to be out.”
Crabtree said it was the most attended Easter Egg Hunt and Marshmallow Drop in the last five years. The Jaycees had planned on 400 to 500 children and had 37 volunteers at the event to run the morning's activities.
The entry fee per child was $1 or one canned food item. The cans were to be donated to the Ann Arbor-based Food Gatherers to help less fortunate families in the area during the Easter holiday. Crabtree said most paid the $1, but the Jaycees did collect “quite a bit of donations for the Food Gatherers.”
Participants brought in 200 non-perishable food items for the group.
“We'll do something bigger and better for the Food Gatherers next year,” Crabtree said, expecting to build from this year's success.
In addition to the money raised for the Food Gatherers, a bake sale at the event raised more than $100 for the March of Dimes' March for Babies.
The large turnout for the event had created a shortage of parking in Depot Town, especially with spaces along the west side of the Freighthouse closed for the building's renovation. Some participants had chosen to park their cars near the railroad tracks, some within a few feet.
The Ypsilanti Police Department had to tow some vehicles parked to close to the tracks. The Jaycees constantly made reminders to parents to move cars if they are parked near the tracks. Crabtree said the issue had never come up in the past.
“It was sort of a new situation,” Crabtree said. “I would hope that doesn't happen again.”
She said the group will discuss ways to prevent the problem when planning next year's event.
With money raised for various charities and the children who found eggs and picked up marshmallows with candy and toys, Crabtree considers the event a mission accomplished.
Related article:
Easter Bunny brings eggs, marshmallows to Frog Island
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Food Gatherers
March for Babies