‘‘Are you ready? On your marks. Get set. Go!”
These words, shouted by City of Brunswick recreation coordinator Geri Reynolds, kicked off the children’s egg hunt Saturday at Brunswick’s annual Easter Eggstravaganza event.
The day, packed with Easter activities for area youth, started at 2 p.m., with the egg hunt in Railroad Square for children younger than 12. Sections of downtown streets were blocked off for the afternoon, and the patiently waiting children were released all at once to find hundreds of hidden plastic eggs – some containing slips redeemable for prizes.
‘‘Once you say ‘go,’ in five minutes, it’s done,” said volunteer Jesse Smith, a Rosemont resident. ‘‘But the kids have fun throughout the day.”
The town seemed to be bursting with -spring spirit, as local businesses got in on the fun with decorations and special promotions. Employees watched the festivities from their doors and windows.
The day’s events also included an after-dark egg hunt for teenagers, Easter bonnet decorating, an egg-decorating contest, hay rides, a scavenger hunt, and a chance for children to meet the Easter bunny.
Debbie Pearson, a Lovettsville, Va., resident who accompanied her Brunswick grandchildren to the Eggstravaganza for the first time this year, planned to have a full day of fun with 4 year-old Marlena and 2-year-old Gianna Costanzo.
‘‘I think they’re going to decorate some baskets and decorate some bonnets, and maybe do a hay ride,” Pearson said before the girls ran off to find eggs. ‘‘Depends how long they last.”
Brunswick resident Dave McLane also brought his 2-year-old grandson, Patrick ‘Paddy’ McLane, out to the day’s events.
‘‘We just did the Easter egg hunt, then he’s doing an art contest and dying eggs,” McLane said. ‘‘We brought him down last year but I don’t think he remembered too much. You’ve got to be at least 2, I think.”
Paddy, who lives in West Virginia, had a great time this year, though he only found three eggs.
‘‘I went to see the Easter Bunny,” he said, holding a bubble wand in one hand and a bag of candy and other treats in the other. ‘‘Wow – I got bubbles!”
The event is sponsored annually by the City of Brunswick and, according to Reynolds, attracted a greater-than-average turnout this year.
Students secure winsin essay contest
Several Frederick County students were recently recognized among the 80 entries to an annual essay contest sponsored by the Frederick Chapter of the daughters of the American Revolution. This year’s topic was, ‘‘I Spy – Espionage during the American Revolution.”
According to a press release from the group, the students told espionage stories via diary entries, letters and journals, about characters young and not-so-young. Some stories mentioned local communities and historic figures. Students revealed that as spies they used invisible ink techniques, and listened in taverns and shops to ferret out and transfer information for the ‘‘other” side.
In the eighth-grade category, Ian Maliszewskyj, a Middletown Middle School student, took first place; Kathleen Cook and Maria Matan, both students at Visitation Academy, took second and third places, respectively.
Students at St. John Regional Catholic School swept the competition in the fifth and sixth grade categories. Fifth-graders Eleanor Mary Brown took first, Nicholas Soares took second and Scot Richard Lanthier took third. Sixth-graders Jozef Kulis took first, Michael Grus took second and Timothy Patrick Morrill took third.
Eleanor Mary Brown was also named the Maryland State Daughters of the American Revolution winner. She will be presented with an award at the state conference and her essay will be judged in the national contest.
Elizabeth DeSciullo, a student at Urbana High School, was honored by the Frederick Chapter with the Good Citizen Award. The annual award is given to a high school senior for demonstrating dependability, service, leadership and patriotism. Her extemporaneous essay on the topic of preservation of American heritage placed second in the state contest.
For more information about the Frederick Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, call 301-371-6410 or visit www.dar.org.
Jefferson church helps troops overseas
The Jefferson United Methodist Women dedicated part of its March 10 meeting to assemble care packages for three soldiers in Iraq. The packages included crackers, peanut butter, toiletries, and other needed items, according to a press release from the church.
Participants included Peggy Arnold, Carolyn Gardner, Wayde Harper, Ellen Lowery, Jackie Rufty, Judy Staples, Joan Sisk and Joyce Stine.
This project will be an ongoing effort for the group. The women meet at 1:30 p.m. on the third Monday of every other month. Other outreach programs include Jefferson Food Bank, ARC of Frederick County, Hospice of Frederick County, and Feed the Children. Most recently, the women raised more than $1,000 for the Church World Service Blanket Program, according to the release.
Jefferson United Methodist Church is located at 3882 Jefferson Pike, Jefferson. For more information about the care package program for the troops or other outreach programs, call 301-473-4022.
Do you have an item for Valley Voice? Contact reporter Connor Adams Sheets at 301-846-2130, e-mail csheets@gazette.net or fax news to 301-846-2124.
