ASHVILLE - Children will scrounging all over a village Saturday afternoon in search of hundreds of eggs, but safety will be on the forefront of everyone's mind.
The Chautauqua Children's Safety Education Village will open its gates for its first annual Easter Egg Hunt at noon Saturday, with all who visit getting the chance to not only have a great time, but to win prizes to take home with them as well.
The Safety Education Village was opened to the public in October after several years of preparation. It offers a fun environment in which children can learn about fire, street and bicycle safety. The miniature village is composed of more than 20 buildings, each sponsored by a local business or organization.
Article Photos
Bicycles and Easter baskets will be among the prizes given out during the Chautauqua Children’s Safety Education Village’s first annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday. Showing off some of the prizes are, from left, Spencer Kindberg; Theresa Germaine, Safety Education Village board member; Caleb Kindberg; Terri Kindberg, Safety Education Village executive director; and Joshua Kindberg.
P-J photo by Dave Emke
More than 2,000 children have visited the Safety Education Village in the six months it has been open, said Terri Kindberg, executive director. The visitors have included class groups from area schools, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, as well as people from all over the county and surrounding areas, she said.
On Saturday, the Safety Education Village will open for a fun event designed to introduce more children and their families to what it has to offer, as well as to give the youth a chance to get some candy and win some prizes.
Children will be separated into three age groups - 5 and under, 6 to 9, and 10 to 12 - and sent to different parts of the Safety Education Village to search for their eggs. Special eggs will contain numbers that correspond to certain prizes, Mrs. Kindberg said.
Fact Box
What: Easter Egg Hunt
When: noon Saturday
Where: Safety Education Village
Cost: $1
For more information, call 499-8138.
* 8.0 miles from downtown Jamestown.
Among the prizes that can be won are three bicycles - one for each of the age ranges, with the largest donated by Wal-Mart. Easter baskets will also be available to be won, thanks to donations by the county Office of Emergency Services, Tim Hortons, AAA and American Legion Post 777. Large chocolate Easter bunnies will also be available to prize winners, Mrs. Kindberg said.
Tops, Big Lots and Sam's Club donated the plastic Easter eggs and candy for the hunt itself, she added.
While Saturday's event will mark the Safety Education Village's first Easter egg hunt, it will be the second time the village has opened itself up for a communitywide event. In October, the village's first ''Spook-tacular Halloween Extravaganza'' trick-or-treat event was very successful, Mrs. Kindberg said.
''We want people to come up here and be able to enjoy a safe place for the kids to be able to run and be able to find Easter candy, and just to be able to see the village,'' she said. ''People would be welcome to come into our educational facility and see our fire house, where we hold classes.''
The hunt will begin promptly at noon, Mrs.Kindberg said, with gates of the Safety Education Village opening by 11:30 a.m. for admission. At noon, horns will be sounded and the children will be released to scatter and begin their search.
Food will also be available during the afternoon, Mrs. Kindberg said, including hamburgers, hot dogs, cotton candy and kettle corn. Coffee and orange drink will be offered, she added, donated by Tim Hortons and McDonald's respectively.
Face-painting and train rides will be available as well, and the Easter Bunny and McDonaldland's Grimace will be meeting and greeting youngsters.
Admission to the event will be $1, with children ages 5 and under admitted free.
The Chautauqua Children's Safety Education Village is located adjacent to the BOCES Hewes Center on Route 394 in Ashville. For more information about the event or about the Chautauqua Children's Safety Education Village itself, contact Mrs. Kindberg at 499-8138.
Other local events include:
What: Trail Guide Training
When: 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Audubon Center and Sanctuary, 1600 Riverside Road
Cost: Free
Learn how to explore nature with school classes on spring discovery walks. For more information, visit www.jamestownaudubon.org or call 569-2345.
* 7.4 miles from downtown Jamestown.
What: Earthfest
When: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Hamilton Collegiate Center, Jamestown Community College
Cost: Free
The event, sponsored by JCC's Earth Awareness Club, will begin at 11 a.m. with a multimedia presentation on sustainability by Deb Lanni. Jeff Musial of Nickel City Reptiles and Exotics will present an animal show at noon. Performances by Matt Maloof will be featured throughout.
For more information, call 338-1047.
* 2.0 miles from downtown Jamestown.
What: Opening of Annual Student Art Exhibition
When: 6 p.m. Thursday
Where: Weeks Gallery, Jamestown Community College
Cost: Free
The event features an awards ceremony, refreshments and music by Amanda Barton and Charity Nuse. For more information, call 338-1301.
* 2.0 miles from downtown Jamestown.