Easter eggs, bunnies arrive on the Kenai Peninsula

Though Easter Sunday isn’t until this weekend, the Easter Bunny has already begun to appear on the Kenai Peninsula, as North Peninsula Recreation Service Area kicked off a week of local celebrations with their Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday.

The Nikiski Community Recreation Center was abuzz this weekend with the iconography of spring, although snow and ice still filled the playground where children hunted for eggs. A craft fair filled the center’s largest space and spilled out into the hallways, the Easter bunny appeared for photos only a few feet away from a petting zoo with other bunnies, and rooms were set up for kids to play bingo or make crafts of their own.

Easter egg hunts went out in shifts, with escalating difficulty for different age groups. Children 0-2 years old stayed inside to harvest their eggs, while the 3-4 year olds went outside and searched a small clearing. The oldest group, 5-6, went into the playground, trudging through snow and searching on and around equipment — organizers had told them to search “high and low.”

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Though Nikiski’s was the first major Easter celebration to arrive on the central Kenai Peninsula, there are plenty more opportunities to grab a photo with the Easter bunny or seek out some eggs. Celebrations and meals are scheduled for this weekend, March 29 through March 31.

Upcoming events

The Kenai Peninsula Food Bank will have a free Easter Lunch in its Fireweed Diner on Friday, from 11:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.

The Kenai Community Library will be hosting an Easter basket building craft session on Friday, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. The 15-minute craft is “perfect for the Kenai City Easter Egg Hunt or to collect the first dandelions of spring,” the library wrote on social media. All materials are provided and children under 8 years old need to be accompanied by an adult.

The annual City of Kenai Easter Egg Hunt will be held Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. and running to 12:30 p.m. in Kenai Municipal Park on South Forest Drive. There will be eggs to find, music to dance to, games to play and hot cocoa to “slurp,” per an event listing. A “bonus” is high fives from the Easter bunny, who is scheduled to make an appearance.

Another Easter egg hunt and another chance for photos with the bunny themself will be held later that same day at the Peninsula Center Mall, running from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Duck Inn will serve a special themed “Easter Feast” of prime rib or ham, mashed potatoes, carrots, corn on the cob and carrot cake from on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., or while supplies last.

Find more information about these events on Facebook at “Kenai Peninsula Food Bank,” “Kenai Community Library,” “City of Kenai Parks & Recreation,” “Soldotna Chamber of Commerce,” and “Duck Inn Cafe, Lounge, and Motel.”

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

Organizers take a selfie with a crowd of children and families moments before a hunt for Easter eggs during the Easter Eggstravaganza at Nikiski Community Recreation Center in Nikiski, Alaska, on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Children hunt for Easter eggs during the Easter Eggstravaganza at Nikiski Community Recreation Center in Nikiski, Alaska, on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

The Easter Bunny poses for photos with Parker and Juniper Parrish during the Easter Eggstravaganza at Nikiski Community Recreation Center in Nikiski, Alaska, on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

The Easter Bunny gives thumbs up to Juniper Parrish during the Easter Eggstravaganza at Nikiski Community Recreation Center in Nikiski, Alaska, on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)