TheBanyanTree: Crow Bait hired to fly

[Sheri Baity]

Yup, Crow Bait has been asked to be a correspondent for the local newspaper after they snatched up her article "With My Eyes Which You Now Have."   I told them I'd give it a try and the following are my first two assignments.  Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, privately of course.  They are not too long because most of the two pages will be filled up with 15-20 of the pics I took also.

Thanks,
Crow Bait... errrr Crow Woman 

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

By Sheri L. Baity

Thanks to Broad Acres, their staff and residents another great year of meeting the Easter Bunny was a huge success. Electric smiles pierced the faces of the children that attended. All awaited with anticipation to meet and have their picture taken with Mr. Cottontail, himself.

Tristen Pierce, age 4, accompanied by his mother Sarah was one of the first few to arrive early. With hands folded neatly, he was asked, when do you think he will be here? Right hand waved straight to the air as he strongly stated, "He'll be hoppin in any minute now." Tristen must have had an inside tip, because, within seconds, there stood Peter Cottontail. The children encircled him quickly with giggles, smiles and laughter. The fun began immediately.

The games ranged from bean bag toss, pick a duck, bunny ball throw to even count how many jelly beans are in the little man. Kaitlyn Hoover, age 10 of Mansfield, won that contest with a guess of 390. Like the Easter Bunny himself, the true count will remain a mystery, but I bet her tummy will be counting each one she eats for the next few weeks.

When asked how many years Broad Acres have done this for the community, Cecilia Tokarz, Director of Consumer Relations, answered, "Must be close to twenty years now." She also added that it wouldn't have been possible to keep the costs down had it not been for the VIP Group.

With many helping hands involved of staff and family, little children's dreams were made possible. Magic was in the air showing even on the faces of the adults as they spent time with their children and grandchildren. The smiles seen throughout the day was priceless. I must confess, this reporter is even hoppin to a new beat.

A Community Grows with Easter

By Sheri L. Baity

The sun was shining, leaves rustled, while little hands pushed aside winter's cover. Lil' ones hoping for a prize look for the magic number inside the candy filled shells. 105 children attended the second annual Easter egg hunt in Roseville. The number of children have nearly doubled since last year's attendance of 70.

Pastor Howard Woodruff of Roseville United Methodist Church, which hosted this event had three reasons, simple yet strong, of why he does this. "One, it brings the community together. Two, it gives me the opportunity to share the story of Easter. Third and finally, with the names and addresses collected before the hunt, we have a great start at inviting these children to Vacation Bible School in the summer."

Gary Pratt, grandfather to 20 month old Alexis was delighted to help out on her first Easter egg hunt. Father of Alexis, Zachery Pratt, has just arrived in the Persian Gulf on the USS Nimitz which will be relieving the USS Abraham Lincoln that has been out close to 10 months. Christy Pratt, mother, was non stop smiles watching the sparkle in her daughter's eyes seeing all the colorful eggs. When Gary was asked why wasn't he out to catch that first trout of the season, he said gleaming, "Why, when I can get the opportunity to spend time with my granddaughter."

The teens even got into the hunt rummaging through the mound of trees beyond the baseball field. One observer thought that the older ones just may have had more fun than the little children. No one went home empty handed.

The story of Easter, family, friends, smiles and the community, altogether made for the perfect gathering. With Mother Nature beaming in on the day, the children stayed around even after the hunt was over making good use of the swings and slides at the park. Here's hoping to an even bigger gathering next year. 







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