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Neighbor News

Easter Bunny Photo Experience is coming soon to Concord Mills to delight families

Families can also enjoy Caring Bunny and Pet Photos with the Easter Bunny.

Simon®, a global leader in retail real estate, is hosting its annual Easter celebration festivities at Concord Mills, offering families the chance to participate in traditional and unique seasonal events.

The Bunny Photo Experience begins March 24 and runs through April 15at Concord Mills in the Food Court. Kids will have the chance to visit with the Bunny and take home a treasured snapshot of the fun occasion. Shoppers can now save time and avoid the line by reserving an appointment online at http://simon.noerrbunny.com.

The sponsors for the 2017 Bunny Photo Experience are The Gymboree Corporation – including its Gymboree and Crazy 8 children’s clothing brands and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment which is celebrating the highly-anticipated release of “Sing,” available on Digital HD March 3rd and on Blu-ray DVD March 21st. Come visit the Simon Easter Photo Experience and receive a fun-filled activity sheet, a custom Sing holiday headband, and watch highlights from the movie.

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“We love to hold family-friendly events and we always look forward to watching children interact with the Bunny at Easter,” said Emily Zimmermann, director of marketing and business development at Concord Mills.

Concord Mills’ Caring Bunny™ event will offer families that have children with special needs a subdued environment to participate in the Bunny Photo Experience. Caring Bunny, the largest program of its kind, has been developed by Simon and is guided by AbilityPath.org, a national online resource hub and special needs community. Over 90 Simon® properties will host the Caring Bunny this season. Promotional assistance for Caring Bunny has been provided by Autism Speaks.

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On March 26 at 9 a.m., many steps will be taken to reduce sensory triggers, creating a more comforting environment for children’s cherished visit with the Bunny. The subdued environment is likely to include (specific elements or aesthetics may vary):

· Turning off in-mall music, stopping escalators located near the photo set, dimming the lights and shutting down fountains for the duration of the event.

· Eliminating queue lines through the use of a numbering system whereby guests approach the set when their number is called.

· Speical activities geared toward the needs of the child during the ‘wait’ period to help the child understand what activities will occur during the visit.

The event will be held during private mall hours in the Food Court. In order to provide a calmer sensory-friendly environment, families are asked to enter through Entrance Two. Guests can register in advance on Eventbrite.

Shoppers can also bring in their furry friend for Pet Photos with the Easter Bunny on Sunday, April 9 from 6-8 pm. Guests will receive a FREE toy for their dog or cat (while supplies last). Participating families are asked to enter through Entrance Two. Guests can register in advance on Eventbrite.

About Concord Mills

As the largest outlet and value retail shopping destination in North Carolina, Concord Mills brings together more than 200 stores, plus great dining and family entertainment options. Popular retailers include Michael Kors Outlet, H&M, Banana Republic Factory Store, Coach, LEGO Brand Retail Store and the only Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in the state. Shoppers can also enjoy quality dining and entertainment at Bonefish Grill, Outback Steakhouse, AMC 24 Theatres, Dave & Buster’s and The SPEEDPARK. Further enhancing its unique shopping experience, Concord Mills is home to Sea Life Charlotte-Concord, a 26,000-square-foot indoor aquarium featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures and more than 20 spectacular displays of diverse marine life.

Concord Mills is located 10 miles north of uptown Charlotte, at exit 49 off of Interstate 85. Regular hours are 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Sunday. For more information on Concord Mills, please call (704) 979-3000 or visit www.concordmills.com. Like Concord Mills on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ConcordMills) and follow us on Twitter @ConcordMillsNC and on Instagram @ConcordMillsNC.

About Simon

Simon is a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development and a S&P100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE:SPG). Our industry-leading retail properties and investments across North America, Europe and Asia provide shopping experiences for millions of consumers every day and generate billions in annual retail sales. For more information, visit simon.com.

About AbilityPath.org

AbilityPath.org is an online hub and special needs community for parents and professionals to learn, connect and live a more balanced life. The website combines social networking features with expert content from AbilityPath.org’s team of educators, parents, therapists and medical professionals.AbilityPath.org was created by Community Gatepath, a nonprofit with over 90 years of experience serving families and children with special needs by fostering hope, dignity and independence. AbilityPath.org may also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

About Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization. It is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Mr. Wright is the former vice chairman of General Electric and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal. Since its inception, Autism Speaks has committed more than $500 million to its mission, the majority in science and medical research. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 100 cities across North America. On the global front, Autism Speaks has established partnerships in more than 40 countries on five continents to foster international research, services and awareness. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit AutismSpeaks.org.

About Gymboree

Gymboree has a 30-year rich heritage in dressing children, newborn to 12 years old. Gymboree offers colorful, head-to-toe clothing and accessory collections - quality clothes that let kids be kids.

Gymboree is part of The Gymboree Corporation family, which began in 1976 with Gymboree Play & Music, offering parent-child play programs. Today, along with franchised and company-operated Gymboree Play & Music locations, The Gymboree Corporation operates three specialty retail brands – Gymboree, Crazy 8 and Janie and Jack – offering unique, high-quality products delivered with personalized customer service in more than 1,300 stores worldwide and on www.gymboree.com, www.crazy8.com, and www.janieandjack.com.

About Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

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