Just a quick reminder ... the Easter Bunny will be at Thomson Park

Discovery North Bay's annual fundraiser 'Hershey's Giant Easter Egg Hunt' is set to take place at Thomson Park tomorrow Saturday April 11th.

Children aged 12 and under are welcome to participate in the hunt.

Time: Gates open at 11am, for face painting, games, balloons and a visit with the Easter Bunny

Hunt begins at 12:00 Noon Sharp!

Location: Thomson Park (behind Memorial Gardens)

Details: Hershey Canada has donated 10,000 yes 10,000 chocolate bars to Discovery North Bay. We will be ‘hiding’ them in Thomson Park on the morning of April 11th. Children, separated into age groups, will hunt for chocolate scattered throughout the park. Children’s activities have been planned for before the hunt begins and the Easter Bunny will be in attendance. Children ages 12 and under are invited to participate.

Cost: $5.00 Children must have a wristband to participate, parents and guardians do not need wristbands to enter the park. Wristbands may be purchased at the event on April 11th.

History of the Event:

In 1998 the North Bay Area Museum began a fundraising initiative focused on families during the Easter Season. A mixture of games, crafts and an egg hunt, this event started modestly with only approximately 80 children participating, and taking place at Memorial Park near the Legion on First Avenue.

In 2000 Hershey Canada came on board as our chocolate sponsor, providing all the chocolate for the egg hunt. It was at this point that the event added Hershey’s name into the event name. Still taking place at Memorial Park, we saw approximately 150-200 children plus parents. In 2001 we changed the location of the event Amelia Park in order to accommodate the increasing number of participants. Nearly 300 children participated and activities were organized by Connections of North Bay.

2002 and 2003 saw a continued increase in the number of children participating in this fundraising event. Approximately 400 children participated 2002 and 600 in 2003. Both years had the event taking place at Lee Park, it was apparent that we required a more open space and therefore moved the event to Thomson Park near Memorial Gardens.

Last year, in 2008, children braved the winter cold as they participated in our coldest Easter Egg Hunt yet. Easter fell in mid March, and we still had plenty of snow and ice to contend with. The City of North Bay crews were out to help us early in the morning at Thomson Park with their sanding equipment. Let’s hope that April brings us some warmer weather!

Over the last 11 years, through the generosity of local organizations, Hershey Canada, and the assistance of our dedicated volunteers, which makes this fundraiser so successful for the Museum and we look forward to another great year!