'It's nice for the kids': Bunny Hop held in Central Park

Dave Sutor, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Mar. 24—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Abbey Shropshire, like all the children who attended Johnstown's annual Bunny Hop on Saturday, left with an abundance of Easter candy provided by the organizations that lined the sidewalks around Central Park.

The event, hosted by Discover Downtown Johnstown Partnership, was set up for the youngsters to go from station to station to get their treats instead of searching for eggs in a hunt.

"You don't have to compete for anything," Shropshire, a 10-year-old from Tire Hill, said. "No matter what, you're going to get something, as long as you don't come too late."

Her mother, Lori Shropshire, added: "I just think it's so nice for the community to have these events and let people come out. We like the Bunny Hop because it's different than the Easter egg hunts. You're not competing against other people and you don't feel like you might be taking too much or not getting enough.

"With this, everybody gets the same, so it's nice for the kids, especially kids that are slower or younger and might not be able to get as much from the hunts. That's our favorite part of it."

Some organizations provided other items, such as toys, along with the candy, while Galliker's Dairy offered drinks.

"It's awesome for us to come down here, give out the chocolate milk, make sure all the kids are drinking their milk, getting strong," Kristy Reighard, the dairy's marketing manager, said. "Downtown Partnership, we've been doing events with them for years now. We just want to be a part of the community."

Approximately 20 groups participated.

"We are just very proud of what we've done as a partnership, and we've gained a lot of community partners over the years, so we never have a hard time getting companies or organizations to come out and be part of this event," DDJP President Melissa Radovanic said.