Despite the weather, over 200 children attended the Burford and District Optimist Club’s annual Easter egg hunt at the Burford Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 4, 2026.
While the free event, which has been running for over 30 years, was moved indoors due to the rain, members of the local Optimist club were happy to see so many people show up.
“Given the weather, I think we’re currently pushing 170 kids and we’re only about 45 minutes into the event,” said Alyssa Seitz. “It’s nice because even with the weather, all these families came out here today and are running around. Everyone seems to be enjoying it.”
Throughout the run of the event, youngsters happily filled their basket to the brim with eggs, waited in line to have their face painted and interacted with the elusive Easter Bunny as well as a couple of Disney Princesses.
“The kids just have to collect three eggs, and when they’re done, they can come to our table to exchange them for a chocolate Easter Bunny,” said Michelle Schooley, a member of the local Optimist Club. “We also have a face painter here today, as well as the Easter Bunny, Snow White and Princess Aurora. We’re also serving coffee and hot chocolate for the parents.”
The youngsters in attendance were all smiles once they realized they also had the chance to enter a free raffle for a Mean Machine Rock Crawler. Parents could also enter to win a basket of baby skin care.
Kayla and Spencer Hansen were one of the many Burford residents who brought their children to the event.
The two said they appreciated that the activities were brought indoors.
“It’s a pretty versatile event so whether it’s inside or outside, it still has the same fun feel for the kids,” said Kayla.
The pair said they’ve attended the event the past three years and are trying to make it a tradition for their family.
“I really like it, it sort of has this homey feel to it,” said Kayla. “We try to come every year and the kids really look forward to it; they always have fun and they get really excited when they bump into a few of their friends too.”
The local Optimist Club, which has been running for over 40 years, is made up of a group of committed Burford residents who volunteer their time to make the community a better place for children and youth within the community.
“It’s nice to be able to give back to the community so the kids can make memories with their families. It’s very rewarding for us,” said Schooley. “It’s also great because we see a lot of the same families come back every year, but I also see a lot of new faces this year so that’s really nice to see.”
“I also like that with these events we get to talk to the parents and introduce ourselves and what we do,” added Seitz. “They see their kids having fun, and they want to keep the event going and take part in it, and even parents who come with their older children want to find ways that they can get involved too.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
