And They're Off!By Kari Jo M. RodgersEvery year the "Belleair Bluff's Rotary Club" holds an Easter egg hunt for parents and children, who would like to attend. Besides hunting Easter eggs, youngsters are also offered the option of playing games, and are even given the opportunity to take home extra treats. Some of the games include "digging for reptiles" in sand containers, throwing beanbags into Easter buckets, and even a golf game! Treats include new pencils, candy and juice. Before hunting for eggs, many children played the games. On the contrary, some kids were caught taking a "sneak-peak" at the Easter Eggs before the hunt began! Finally, at 10 a.m. sharp, the kids learned exactly how all of this Easter egg hunting worked! Pat France, the president of the Belleair Rotary Club" explained the rules to a large group of parents and children. First, she found out how old the children were by asking parents and children participating in the group three-years-old or younger to raise their hands, and afterwards she asked the same of the parents and children participating in the age group, who were four-years-old or older. Afterwards, she explained that the yellow tape surrounding the playground was where the older children would look for eggs, while the yellow tape surrounding the open area next to the playground was where the younger children would look for eggs. Both parents and children seemed to enjoy the hunt. One local girl named Summer, in the younger age group, showed the basket of eggs that she found to her grandmother, while another girl in the older age group, also named Summer, told me that her favorite part of the Easter egg hunt was "finding the eggs." She also loved the fact that a variety of sweet treats could be found inside the Easter Eggs. Summer and her family have attended the Easter egg hunt for the last few years. Besides kids in the area, families on vacation also attended! One of the older boys named Vincent from Elmwood Park, Illinois, proudly showed off a toy Gecko that he found, while sifting through sand in the sand containers. This was the first time, he and his younger sister, Isabella, had participated. According to Dawn Cicero Waters, both kids had a great time. When talking about the festivities in general, she said, "They did a really great job for the kids, and we got it all in before the rain!" When the hunt ended, Pat France, explained that besides the annual Easter egg hunt, the club also held other events throughout the year. Members work on local, national and international projects. If you are interested in attending a meeting to learn more about the "Belleair Area Rotary Club," anyone is welcome to attend. Meetings are at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday nights, and take place at "Jorge's Restaurant" on Clearwater-Largo Road. France emphasized that they are always looking for new members, who are eager to make a difference!
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