The Naperville Junior Woman’s Club (NJWC) along with Naperville Safety Town came together on a sunny Saturday morning for an early Easter celebration.
What is Hoppy Easter?
“We really wanted to lean into the notion of happy and the intersection with hoppy because we have not one but two costumed bunnies to take photos with the children, as well as eight beautiful soft bunnies that the kids can touch and pet. And since they’re bunnies, they’re not quite as filled with action as some as the other animals you see at other events throughout the season,” explained Jackie White, the chair of the event. “The proceeds of today’s event all go to support Safety Town, so it’s a great partnership for us.”
How Did It Start?
“One of our presidents came up with the idea. Eight or nine years ago she loved the idea of bringing baby chicks and Easter to Safety Town, and so we look for new ways to support the community every year, and this was that president’s idea and we loved it, so we continued to do it year after year,” said Lisa Kasar, president of the NJWC.
The event made its return in 2021 after the 2020 COVID shutdown. Last year, only fifteen families were allowed in every half hour. For the 2022 event, twenty families were allowed every fifteen-minutes, with a total of almost 500 kids able to come in to tour the town. Many came to get their hoppiness on, whether it was their first time or they wanted to continue the tradition.
“It’s our first time. We just wanted to come see what it’s all about.” said Alyse Krib. “I’ve driven past Safety Town and wondered what it looked like in here, so it’s been cool to look around and see what it is.“
“I’m proud to report that means we can service as many as five hundred of our Naperville children today so this is gonna be a lot of action a lot of smiles and a lot of laughs,” said White.
Naperville News 17 Patrick Codo reports
