ORANGE — At Jumptown’s fifth annual Easter egg hunt, known for a skydiving Easter bunny, the windy conditions kept the bunny out of the sky. Instead, the bunny arrived in the back of a truck, waving to the children who didn’t seem to mind.
Sunday’s event at the Orange airport included 1,400 eggs hidden for about 200 kids.
Once the Easter bunny arrived, the egg hunt began and kids searched airport grounds for eggs and then were able to get pictures and a present from the bunny.
Jumptown hosts and finances the egg hunt every year, and usually pays for the costs associated with the bunny’s skydive. Brad Doherty, the operations manager for Jumptown, said the event is about building a sense of community and kicking off the year.
“For a couple hundred dollars, it’s easy to keep it going,” he said.
Diane Pond, manager for Jumptown, said this is the first year the bunny hasn’t been able to jump and said wind conditions made it unsafe for skydiving.
Starlene Patterson, who brought her nieces to the event, said the kids didn’t really notice the difference and were still happy to see the Easter bunny.
“We didn’t mind as long as he was here,” Patterson said.
Michelle Elwell brought four of her kids to Sunday’s event, and said it was initially disappointing, but at the end of the day didn’t make much of a difference.
“Just seeing him will be exciting,” she said. “Safety’s more important.”