Easter 2021: Egg Hunts, Services And Meals In And Near Newtown

NEWTOWN, PA — Easter celebrations across the country and in Newtown will look different from ever before in 2021 as traditional events such as egg hunts, religious services and restaurant deals will go on virtually as well as in person.

Egg Hunts

Take a wagon ride to the "Hunting Grounds" at Shady Brook Farm's Easter "Eggstravaganza." Kids can hunt for eggs, meet the Easter Bunny and enjoy go-carts and giant jumping pillows. Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Celebrate Elmo's Eggstavaganza Easter Celebration at Sesame Place. New this year are photos with the Easter Bunny at the Picture Patch and the Furry Friends Bunny Hop Dance Party. Also enjoy an Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt and surprise mini Sesame Street parades.

Grab your Easter baskets and head to Peddler's Village on Saturday, April 3, for the Giggleberry Fair's Old Fashioned Easter Egg Hunt. Time slots are 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Ascension Lutheran Church will hold an outdoor Easter egg hunt from 1-2 p.m. Saturday. Masks and social distancing required.

Services

Newtown Presbyterian Church will hold an in-person Sunday morning service. Masks and social distancing are required. Click here to sign up.

Grace Point will hold an Easter family fun day from 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 3. Click here for details.

Newtown United Methodist Church will hold an indoor service for a limited number of pre-registered attendees. Click here for details.

Saint Andrew Catholic Church will hold masses at the main church at 6:45 a.m., 7:45 a.m., 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 12 p.m. A single Easter Sunday Mass will take place at 11 a.m. at the CEC. Click here for details.

Ascension Lutheran Church in Newtown will hold an outdoor sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. and a virtual service at 10 a.m.

Lutheran Church of God's Love in Newtown will hold a spoken worship with communion at 8 a.m. followed by an outdoor festival worship at 10 a.m.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on Lake Afton will hold an outdoor Easter morning service at 9 a.m. in Yardley. Masks and social distancing required. Click here for details.

Other Events

The second annual Easter Bunny Cruise will take place at 10 a.m., on Saturday, April 3, in Newtown Borough. Click here for details.

Celebrate Easter aboard the Easter Bunny Express on the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad. Time slots include 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Peddler's Village is holding its second annual PEEPS in the Village Show with more than 90 creations featuring the famous Pennsylvania-produced marshmallow candy.

Meals & Restaurants

In Newtown, Solstice restaurant has a brunch and dinner offering on Sunday, April 4. For those seeking takeout options on Easter Sunday, roasted lamb chops with spiraled potatoes and other sides will be available.

Turning Point in Newtown is offering brunch on Easter Sunday, including options such as Salted Caramel Waffles, Avocado Toast and Bacon Lollipops.

Mostly religious services went virtual during the Easter season last year, when the coronavirus pandemic was still fairly new and most states remained under strict shutdown orders in mid-April. This year, there’s more of a combination of virtual and in-person services taking place with the pandemic having passed the one-year mark.

Many major American archdioceses, such as in Chicago, will continue to hold virtual services that will be streamed throughout Holy Week, which includes the Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday holidays leading up to Easter.

Good Friday, on April 2 this year, marks the death of Jesus Christ. Easter, two days later, celebrates the time when he was resurrected. The Sunday holiday always occurs on the Sunday after the first full moon of spring, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Religious traditions on Good Friday include periods of silence and fasting for many Christians, prominently in the Catholic faith.

Fairfax United Methodist Church in Virginia is also streaming its Holy Week services, with an in-person service offered to a limited number of attendees on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter.

Many Protestant churches will have their traditional sunrise services with social distancing in mind. The Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church is having its services on Easter morning, while the Colorado Council of Churches canceled its service at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre and instead will have Bishop Kym Lucas of the Episcopal Church in Colorado lead a virtual service.

One of the most celebrated Easter traditions outside of church is the Easter egg hunt, many of which were canceled last year but will return in some form in 2021. In La Grange, Kentucky, an egg hunt is planned in conjunction with a drive-in theater and movie; and St. John’s United Methodist Church in Rock Hill, South Carolina, already held its egg hunt over two sessions, with early sign-ups required.

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