Here Are A Few Fun Upcoming Events For Middletown Residents

From Middletown Alerts:

Nature’s Natural Eggs!
Sunday, March 22
Poricy Park, 345 Oak Hill Road
732-542-5966| Poricy Park.org
1:00-2:00pm, 2:30-3:30pm Or 4:00-5:00pm
Discover natural dyes with berries, beets, herbs and more of nature’s offerings. Each participant will decorate four eggs to take home. We will also investigate the many variations of wild bird eggs and how birds use camouflage to hide their own eggs with a fun hands-on activity. Pre-register by Friday, March 20. Appropriate for ages 4 to 104 (children must be supervised by their adult). Fee: Members: $8 per participant + $4 each additional sibling; Non-Members: $10 per participant + $6 each additional sibling


Middletown – My Town Night
New Jersey Devils vs Los Angeles Kings
Monday, March 23, 7pm @ Prudential Center
Click this link for flyer with more information.
Visit www.newjerseydevils.com/middletown to purchase tickets. Promo Code: Middletown


NEW! Dodgeball League
The Recreation Department is now offering a 9-week Dodgeball League for children in Grades 3-8. Sign up with your friends as a team, or sign up as a Free Agent and you will be placed on a team. Games are held on Monday nights from 5-8pm at the Croydon Hall Gym. The league begins on March 23 and runs through May 18. Week one is for practice, with the regular season beginning March 30. Click here to register


Free! Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt
Friday, March 27, 7:30pm
Croydon Hall Football Field
Pre-registration required.
The Egg Hunt is back—with a twist! Bring your basket, running shoes and a flashlight and get ready to find those eggs! This is strictly an egg hunt. Registration closes Wednesday, March 25. No registrations will be taken at the event. Croydon Hall is located at 900 Leonardville Road, Leonardo. Middletown Residents only. Ages 1-10.


Free! Easter Eggstravganza
Saturday, March 28, 10:00am to 1:00pm
Middletown Arts Center, 36 Church Street
Come join us for an Easter fun-filled day! The first 500 children will receive goodie bags. The Doodle Dude will be demonstrating his egg-cellent techniques for all to participate. We will also be having strolling entertainment, a petting zoo, arts and crafts, an egg decorating contest and more! Parents may bring a camera to take pictures of their children with the Easter Bunny.

Also, the Egg Decorating Contest returns. Let your creative juices flow as you decorate a 15” plastic egg. Participants can purchase eggs for $20.00 from the Middletown Arts Center.

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Here Comes Peter Cottontail

It's been quite a while since I posted a cartoon and since we're celebrating Easter this weekend it's time I post one of my most beloved Rankin & Bass cartoon classic from my childhood: Here comes Peter Cottontail.

Seymour S. Sassafrass, an eccentric, yet friendly peddler, and inventor, tells the tale of Peter Cottontail, a young Easter Bunny who lives in April Valley, where the Chief Easter Bunny supervises such Easter items as colored eggs and chocolate candy.

Colonel Wellington B. Bunny, the retiring Chief Easter Bunny, names young Peter his successor despite Peter's propensity for boasting and telling fibs, which is exemplified when his left ear droops. Peter, who has dreamed of being the Chief Easter Bunny almost his entire life, gladly accepts. But not everyone in April Valley is happy with the Colonel's decision. January Q. Irontail, an evil, reclusive rabbit villain who lives in a craggy old tree, alone except for his assistant, a bat named Montresor, wants to be the Chief Easter Bunny...

Happy Easter - 5 Little Easter Eggs

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE !

I hope your day is filled with happiness and joy

WHAT DOES THE EASTER BUNNY HAVE TO DO WITH EASTER?

Have you ever wondered where the Easter Bunny came from? Well so have I, Discovery News explains it below:

There's no story in the Bible about a long-eared, cotton-tailed creature known as the Easter Bunny. Neither is there a passage about young children painting eggs or hunting for baskets overflowing with scrumptious Easter goodies.

And real rabbits certainly don't lay eggs.

So why are these traditions so ingrained in Easter Sunday? And what do they have to do with the resurrection of Jesus?

Well, nothing.

Bunnies, eggs, Easter gifts and fluffy, yellow chicks in gardening hats all stem from pagan roots. They were incorporated into the celebration of Easter separately from the Christian tradition of honoring the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

According to University of Florida's Center for Children's Literature and Culture, the origin of the celebration -- and the Easter bunny -- can be traced back to 13th century, pre-Christian Germany, when people worshiped several gods and goddesses. The Teutonic deity Eostra was the goddess of spring and fertility, and feasts were held in her honor on the Vernal Equinox. Her symbol was the rabbit because of the animal’s high reproduction rate.

Spring also symbolized new life and rebirth; eggs were an ancient symbol of fertility. According to History.com, Easter eggs represent Jesus' resurrection. However, this association came much later when Roman Catholicism became the dominant religion in Germany in the 15th century and merged with already ingrained pagan beliefs.

The first Easter bunny legend was documented in the 1500s. By 1680, the first story about a rabbit laying eggs and hiding them in a garden was published. These legends were brought to the United States in the 1700s when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania Dutch country, according to the Center for Children's Literature and Culture.

The tradition of making nests for the rabbit to lay its eggs in soon followed. Eventually, nests became decorated baskets and colorful eggs were swapped for candy, treats and other small gifts.


So while you're scarfing down chocolate bunnies (hey, I hear chocolate is good for you!) and marshmallow chicks this Easter Sunday, think fondly of this holiday's origins and maybe even impress your friends at your local Easter egg hunt.

Happy Easter!

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Easter Yeggs

I wanna Easter egg, I wanna Easter egg, I wanna easter egg... The Easter rabbit is coming! I just can't wait.