With three age-related hunts, Hawthorn mall put out 5,000 to 6,000 plastic-filled eggs for this year’s Easter Egg-Venture event on March 21 in Vernon Hills in the Hawthorn Green Space (Between AMC and Hawthorn Row).
The Saturday memory maker had partly sunny to cloudy skies and outside temperatures at nearly 60 degrees.
“A ton of eggs,” contained candy plus small toys and stickers, said Tia Prokos, Hawthorn’s marketing director.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Prokos said about Easter Egg-Venture. “It’s a great opportunity to bring our community out, to bring families, kids, and have them participate in a family-friendly event that just brings the people together.
“There are hundreds of people here, it’s always fun,” Prokos added. “The younger ones are so cute to watch them chasing after the eggs and it’s fun to see the mad dash of the older ones.”
Easter Egg-Venture, a two-hour mid-morning paid registrant event, produced “a really great turnout,” Prokos added.
The early bird perk was that the first 150 kids to check in received bunny ears and a bubble wand.
Riker Vertucci, 4, of Vernon Hills, bolted from the line in his age division hunt to scramble for plastic eggs when Prokos announced it was time to go get them.
Riker’s father, Mike Vertucci, said the family celebrates Easter, which this year falls on Sunday, April 5. Orthodox Easter is Sunday, April 12.
Mike Vertucci hoped the family would have “just fun, enjoyment,” at the Easter holiday.
“It’s a good time to just celebrate and be together.”
Amenities included face painting plus balloon art and more. Community tables were set up. The lemonade tent was a preferred destination with giveaways.
Also popular were two large plush walking Labubu characters. Lababu is the famous grinning collectible toy brand with a huge fandom among kids and adults.
The Easter Bunny made an appearance to doting kiddies. Some small children were seen waving at the bunny and pointing excitedly at the bunny upon the grand escorted entrance.
Vince Viverito’s family of Libertyville posed for a photo with the Easter Bunny. Posing for a selfie with the two pink-and-brown Labubu plush figures were parent Vichiel Kocher of McHenry and son Seth, 3.
Livi June Strohmayer, 2, of Libertyville, was accompanied by immediate and extended family members and also would see the Easter Bunny.
“She’s very excited to find her Easter eggs; it’s her first Easter egg official hunt,” said Livi’s mother, Natalie Strohmayer, with a smile.
“I’m excited, I hope I get some good pictures.”
About spending time with grandchildren, “I love it,” said Livi’s grandfather, Terry Butler of Palatine.
Wearing a gold sequined and white plush bunny ears headband was Leo Alvarez, 6, a first-grader of Grayslake. Gold is his favorite Easter egg color, Leo said.
Leo’s mother, Yande Mena, wanted Leo to “have so much fun with his eggs and his treats.
“Thank you so much, Hawthorn,” Mena added. “We appreciate every event that we go to (here).”
Visit https://www.visithawthorn.com/.
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
