Clearwater Easter Egg Hunt April 2009

The Clearwater Community Volunteers’ train is coming to this year’s Easter Egg Hunt held at Coachman Park.

A previous year’s Easter Egg Hunt and activities held at Coachman Park, sponsored by the Clearwater Community Volunteers and the Church of Scientology.

This event has long been a part of the Clearwater scene, perhaps long enough to be called a tradition. I remember my excitement as a little girl, going to the Easter egg hunt; the thrill of finding a brightly-colored egg beneath a dull leaf, counting up the loot afterward. My childhood photo album has several pictures of me sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap; blonde hair in disarray, bearing a gap-toothed smile, fresh from a thrilling hunt.

There is nothing more pleasurable as a child than the simple joy of spending a day outdoors, the cool breeze contrasting with the warmth of the radiant sun as you run around in the fresh air, lost in the diversion of searching for those elusive candy-filled plastic eggs. That glimpse of baby blue or pastel pink fills you with the thrill of discovery; your face brightens with a smile at the prospect of the goodies that will be found inside.

Clearwater Community Volunteer’s 17th Annual Giant Easter Egg Hunt will be held Easter Sunday, April 12th.  The event begins at 12:00 noon; and goes to 2:00pm. The Hunt itself starts at 12:30 sharp! So, be on time as not to miss the over fifteen thousand Easter eggs that are gathered by hundreds of children within minutes. And, remember to bring your Easter basket. The hunt will be divided into three categories by age, so that the under three year-old will have the same advantage in finding hidden eggs as the four to six year-olds, as well as ages seven and up. Golden eggs will be hidden around the park. Each child who finds a golden egg will be able to claim a stuffed Easter bunny waiting for them at Bunny Central.

In addition to children gathering eggs, and the coveted golden eggs, families will be able to enjoy a petting zoo, pony rides, balloons, face painting, entertainment and much, much more.  One can even enter the chance drawing to win the huge Easter Basket!  Admission is FREE and open to everyone, however there will be a small fee for food and some attractions. This year's festivities will include something they didn't have when I was a kid: the CCV train.  It’s a trackless choo-choo train which will also be available for rides for both kids and grown-ups.

Clearwater Community Volunteers was established in 1994 by parishioners of the Church of Scientology with the purpose of helping to create a better community for all citizens of the City of Clearwater and Pinellas County. CCV has raised money, food and toys for family and children's charities such as the Boys & Girls Club, Everybody's Tabernacle's Homeless Emergency Project, the Red Cross, the victims of Katrina, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Northern Florida® and Winter Wonderland. CCV also adopted a platoon in Iraq of 28 men and sent them more than 50 packages of necessities and goodies before they returned stateside. CCV gets its inspiration from a quote by L Ron Hubbard, "On the day when we can fully trust each other, there will be peace on Earth."  To find out more about CCV’s events visit www.clearwatercommunityvolunteers.org.