It’s not uncommon to see marsh rabbits hopping around Humiston Park, but there was a much bigger bunny in town last Thursday afternoon at an inaugural Vero Beach Easter Parade hosted by Dale Sorensen Real Estate.
An Easter Egg Hunt before the parade saw the beachside park overrun with more than 500 children racing around to find the 5,000 candy-filled eggs scattered about by the Easter Bunny’s helpers. After excitedly collecting their bounty, the children and their families enjoyed a perfect afternoon in the park, sitting on blankets on the grass as music blasted through the park.
“We thought it was a great idea for the children to have a fun afternoon. It was a monumental effort to pull this off on such short notice, but we did it,” shared Matilde Sorensen, whose idea looks to have started a new and delightful Vero Beach tradition. “Everyone had such a great time. The golf carts were fantastic, and all the hats and bow ties were great too. I couldn’t have asked for a better turnout.”
An ocean breeze kept things cool as boys and girls played in the playground, painted river rocks, had their photographs taken with “the” Easter Bunny, got their faces painted, and had fairy hair woven into lovely locks. It truly was a fun-filled, family afternoon as children of all ages led parents and grandparents on a merry chase from one activity to another.
“My mom had to help me because I don’t have my fast yellow shoes on today,” admitted 4-year-old Jayden Jones, proudly showing off her basketful of eggs. When asked what her favorite part of the afternoon was, she contemplated the options and declared, “All of it!”
“We have three generations here today. It was nice to experience this with Jayden. This is the first year she really understands what the Easter activities are all about,” shared Jayden’s grandmother, Casey Sanders. “Next year we’re going to do the parade and bonnets too.”
Adding a bit of springtime flair, the Bonnets and Bow Tie parade rivaled any in New York City. The bonnets adorning the heads of roughly two dozen participants encompassed everything from wide-brimmed straw varieties to sophisticated fascinators. The bonnets were an explosion of color and creativity, with a birdcage, giant carrots, bunnies and chicks perched precariously atop some of the heads.
Some rather crazy bow ties wended their way through the procession as well, including an oversize cardboard creation and a bunny bow tie. Even West Highland terriers, Sutton and Chloe, trotted down Ocean Drive sporting pink and white ties.
Almost 40 golf carts left the greens for the afternoon to participate in the Golf Cart Parade, elaborately decorated with lawn chairs, blow-up pools, surfboards, bunnies, ducks and more. Quail Valley Club personalized their Easter décor with a large quail sitting watch over her speckled eggs.
Proceeds from event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Indian River County.
