The Easter Bunny hippity-hopped into the Schuylkill and Fairlane Village malls on Saturday to be greeted by many children who wanted to meet the floppy-eared, furry celebrity.
Hundreds of parents brought their children to Fairlane Village mall to get pictures with the affable rabbit.
“It’s the memories that he gets to see each year of having a picture with the Easter Bunny,” Veronica Rosado, Pottsville, said of her son, Xiomar, 3. “When I was a kid. I missed out on it.”
The mall hosted an “Easter Egg-stravaganza” on Saturday, featuring a performance by “International Stars of Magic John Bundy and Morgan,” South Planfield, New Jersey. Bundy encouraged the more than 100 people crowded around his stage to welcome the Easter Bunny with some magic words.
“It’s about that time. If everybody’s ready, and everyone’s willing to say those magic words one more time really, really loud, maybe, just maybe we’ll get that Easter Bunny to come visit us this year at the Fairlane Village mall. So, when I count to three, say ‘jumping jellybeans.’ One. Two. Three!” Bundy told the crowd.
As the crowd of children cheered, Xiomar put his hands over his ears.
“Oh, he doesn’t like loud noises,” Rosado said.
“The first 100 kids to visit the Bunny will receive a coupon for a free kids meal at Friendly’s,” according to the mall’s website.
Other families in line to see the Easter Bunny at Fairlane Village on Saturday were Jennifer Crisafulli, Minersville, and her four children, Emily, 2, Mathew, 3, Cameron, 5, and Alexander, 6 months.
“My kids love to watch the magic show. And it’s comfortable. We like coming out to a place that we know,” Crisafulli said.
She decided to have all of her children pose with the Easter Bunny in one photo.
“The Easter Bunny will hold the baby and my other three will stand around him,” she said.
Jess Morgan, Shenandoah, was there with her children, Alexis, 11, Graydon, 10, Miley, 9, and Kayla, 8.
“I’m originally from Pottsville and I did this when I was a kid. Actually, one year I found out my high school softball coach was the Easter Bunny. And I never knew it. My kids love this. They love the magic show. They like the bunny. They’ll sit down and see him. But they love the magic show,” Morgan said.
The magic show wrapped with a classic song from 1984, “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” by Dead or Alive.
Meanwhile in Frackville, before the Easter Bunny arrived, a special program was held called “Andrew and His Toys” behind the center court stage. The show was performed by Andrew Scharff, who has performed in more than 35 states, in European and Asian countries, and around the globe on cruise ships. Scharff also performed before Pope St. John Paul II more than 10 years ago.
As usual, the center court area was decorated with a huge bunny backdrop for the big chair for the Easter Bunny. Children and their parents lined up down the main aisle for the chance to sit on the bunny’s lap, have a photo taken by Mike Bailey Photography and get a lollypop.
Children were also lined up for face painting and balloon figures, and in another section there was a cupcake decorating activity where children could eat their creations. An inflatable double slide kept many going up and down multiple times, and the Appalachian Petting Zoo brought some common and more exotic animals, including a ringtail lemur.
At noon, Scharff held his 35-minute program. Scharff is a clown, physical comedian, juggler, circus performer, yo-yo guy and a funny guy that had the children laughing loudly at his antics and pratfalls. Some children were selected to become part of his show.
After his program, Scharff, 38, said he was with a circus performing in Rome in 2004 when he met the pope.
“It’s not uncommon for people in Rome with shows and sporting events to go have an audience with the pope, but I actually got the chance to perform,” Scharff said, explaining that the general audience was held in the Pope Paul VI Audience Hall in January.
“I grew up in Philadelphia and went to a school that kind of pushed everybody in doing a little performing, and that interested me,” Scharff said. “I then went to clown college and that led to the circus in this country, Europe and Japan, and now then doing shows on cruise ships. My next goal is to go to every country in South America and do performances at schools and orphanages and hop from country to country.”