BROCKVILLE -- With events cancelled and businesses shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a planned breakfast with the Easter Bunny in Brockville turned into a different type of meet up.
Cody Nolan is the general manager of Moose McGuire’s pub downtown and says events cooordinator Kaili Nolan came up with the idea, since the Easter Bunny was already in town.
“Originally we had plans to do breakfast with the Easter Bunny in the Aquatarium and then because of COVID-19 and the restrictions, our restaurant shut down,” said Nolan.
“So we had the Easter Bunny around so we thought if the Easter Bunny wants to go for a walk and see some kids at their homes.”
A Facebook post promoting the event received hundreds of responses.
On Thursday, Cody and Mr. Bunny toured Main Street, and on Good Friday they visited the central part of the city.
“Thursday we did around 50 homes including Main Street. We’re not going into the homes of course or really onto the property. We’re just on the sidewalk trying to maintain proper distance and follow the regulations right now,” said Nolan.
“We’re doing Saturday and Monday as well. We’re taking the Sunday off, he does have to go work and deliver some chocolates is my understanding.”
The reaction from children and parents across Brockville has been great.
“Lots of people looking out windows. Some kids coming out onto the decks. We got a lot of front doors open. People just yelling, waiving. A lot of honking, people are pretty excited. You don’t get to see a giant bunny around the neighbourhood normally. He hides at night,” said Nolan.
Families up and down the neighbourhoods were happy to see the giant white bunny drop by.
“I just think it’s fantastic, the kids really appreciate it. It really made my sons day. We decorated our door up there so it really made his day,” said one mother in Brockville.
“You know it’s a little uncertain for them, they don’t really know what’s going on so it just makes it really normal.”
Another mother told CTV News Ottawa that “it was nice. It’s good that the community is coming together and doing stuff like this for the kids.”
Another stop along the route was Royal Brock Retirement Living, where Mr. Bunny danced outside while the residents waved from the windows.
“I can’t thank Moose McGuire’s enough for doing the Easter Bunny drive by today. We all have our bunny masks on. Everybody is behind us, we’re all doing well here, we’re holding up but support from the community is what’s going to get us through,” said Jenifer Willis, Director of Care at the Royal Brock.
“We’ve got some signs from families and had them put on the lawn for them. We’re trying to get into the spirit of Easter, we’ve been doing Easter egg hunts with staff and residents and trying to keep things as light hearted as we can.”
Willis adds “please keep anybody in your thoughts at a long-term care or retirement. Reaching out to the residents makes it easier for everybody to get through being so isolated .. it’s the little things that’s what’s going to get us through.”
