Let’s Have a Hopping Good Time
Let’s Have a Hopping Good Time
From Ellicottville to Buffalo, Celebrate the Easter Season with Any of These Festive Events
Photo of Watson’s Courtesy of Jessica Schultz, ellicottvilleNOW
Spring is nearly upon us. (I say nearly because apparently, winter isn’t done yet.) And that means that Easter is almost here. That also means it’s time to engage in some fun holiday activities. So what should we do? Where should we do it? What are our options? Let eNOW help you plan your bunny fun!
LET’S GET LOCAL
Let’s start close to home. Of course, it wouldn’t be Easter without the Ellicottville Volunteer Fire Department’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt. The hunt is set for Saturday, March 30th at 1:00pm at the Ellicottville Village Park (11 Parkside Drive, Ellicottville). All ages are welcome. There will be one round per age group with a total of 3 rounds. And you can’t forget there is always the chance to win a special chocolate bunny. This event is held rain or shine. (In the event of rain or even possibly snow at this point, the hunt will be moved inside the Ellicottville Fire Hall.)
Easter wouldn’t be complete without receiving the delightful treats from the big bunny. There is no better way to fill the bunny’s baskets than right on Ellicottville’s main street at Watson’s Chocolates of Distinction (27 Washington Street). They’ve long been a local staple with their selection of sponge candy, jelly beans, truffles and more. (You could also go big with their 16oz chocolate rabbit!) Stop into the shop to make your selections Monday through Saturday from 10:00am-9:00pm or on Sunday from 10:00am-6:00pm. You can also shop their pre-arranged Easter basket creations online at watsonschocolates.com, but make sure to do it soon, because time is running out!
For those of you who are religiously inclined, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church is beginning their weekend of services on Thursday, March 28th with the Maundry Thursday service at 6:00pm. (If you didn’t know, Maundry Thursday is also known as Holy Thursday and commemorates the Last Supper.) Good Friday worship service will take place on Friday at 6:00pm. (Good Friday commemorates the day Jesus died.) Then on Sunday, they will host an Easter breakfast open to the public starting at 8:00am, followed by their Easter Sunday Worship Service at 10:00am. Other local churches will be hosting Easter morning services as well. Check with each church for times.
COOKIES, COCKTAILS AND CHARCUTERIE, OH MY!
Ellicottville Brewing Company’s Little Valley location (202 2nd Street, Little Valley, NY) is hosting a number of unique and fun events leading up to the holiday weekend…
On Thursday, March 28th, they are bringing in Cookies & Cocktails with Cupcaked Bakery. Embark on a flavorful journey where creativity meets confectionery. Tickets are $35 per person and include 6 sugar cookies and all the supplies needed to decorate and take them home, plus 1 cocktail. This class will also serve up a Sugar Cookie Martini. Tickets are live now and can be purchased on EBC’s website (ellicottvillebrewing.com) or on social media. The class starts at 6:30pm but they are encouraging people to arrive early and have some dinner beforehand. (Treat yourself! Get the Ricotta Napoletana Dip… you’ll thank us later!)
Return to EBC the following evening, March 29th, when they host a Charcuterie Board class with A Board Above. This fun and tasty workshop will help you create the perfect Easter charcuterie board. Tickets are $60 per person and include all the materials needed to build the board and the actual pink reusable board for people to take home to put their tasty offerings on. No doubt this board will be the talk of your Easter table! Tickets also include a pint of EBC beer or a glass of wine. Tickets can be purchased at ellicottvillebrewing.com.
Speaking of Little Valley, since we’re over here, the Bridge of Hope Church (109 Court Street) is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 23 for kids ages 0-12 starting at 3:00pm. This will be followed by a sloppy joe dinner at 4:00pm. The event is FREE and dinner is by donation. The Little Valley American Legion (5899 Route 353) will host their egg hunt on Saturday, March 30th for ages 0-11 at 12:00pm.
MORE EASTER OPTIONS
There is a wide variety of amazing events happening outside of Ellicottville this Easter, for those of you looking to get out of Dodge. Keep an eye on your Facebook events page to keep track of all your favorite places. eNOW is just going to hit on a couple to give you an idea of what you could find in the area.
Let’s start with the Annual Egg Hunt at the Cattaraugus Fireman’s Club (24 Memorial Drive, Cattaraugus) taking place March 30th at 12:00pm. The Easter Bunny will be onsite to take photos with the kiddos and their families. Kids have a chance to collect eggs, have a lot of fun and win neat Easter themed prizes.
Or you could hop the opposite direction into Bradford, PA on March 30th and attend Zippo’s Annual Spring Event at the Zippo Case Museum (1932 Zippo Drive) from 11:00am-3:00pm. Grab your peeps (see what I did there?) and come on out to snap a selfie with the Easter Bunny. Children can snag a special spring-themed gift while supplies last. There will be a pop-up petting zoo by Pony Parties, LLC where kids can visit with a cute pack of farm animals. Bree Reed Photography & Face Painting will be offering FREE face painting for everyone. Mr. D’s Donuts, Dogs & Drinks food truck will be onsite offering mini donuts, bison dogs, chili and more for hungry participants to purchase. And of course, the Zippo/Case Flagship Store will be open and they are planning on dropping new exclusive spring-themed lighter designs starting at 9:00am. This is a basket of fun for the whole family and is FREE to attend!
How about a field trip to the Aquarium of Niagara in Erie County? Bounce on over to the Aquarium (701 Whirlpool Street, Niagara Falls, NY) for their special “SEAster” event and enjoy an egg hunt under the sea! The whole family will enjoy searching for colorful eggs hidden within their exhibits and special daily activities, all included with admission. Special guests from 12:00-3:00pm daily will include:
• Friday, 3/29: Face Painting & Glitter Tattoos by Melanie G
Saturday, 3/30: Super Hilarious Magic with Nick Mambretti
Sunday, 3/31: Buffalo Henna by Sonia (Please note: the Aquarium will close at 3:00pm on Easter Sunday.)
Monday, 4/1: Caricatures & Face Painting by Alex
Cost of admission is adults (ages 13-69) $19.95, seniors (60+) $17.95, children (ages 3-12) $14.95 and infants (2 and under) Free.
Wherever you go, whatever you do, or however you choose to celebrate, the eNOW team wants to wish you all a very Happy Easter weekend!
