Easter Bunny, firefighter brighten day with trek around town
by Richard Lamb–Advance Editor
A bright moment parted the clouds of uncertainty on Easter Sunday with a shining light of optimism. As the state faces an additional three weeks of the stay home order, some caring people brought out a few smiles. The Rogers City Area Fire Department teamed with the Kiwanis Club and the Rogers City Police Department to give the Easter Bunny a ride through town.
With firefighter Dylan Ciarkowski at the wheel and the Easter Bunny riding in the back, sirens blared from a fire truck as the pair made their way through most of the streets of Rogers City. They started their trek at 10 a.m. and ended about noon.
Along the way they drew many smiles from people lining the streets or waving from their porches. Grins were everywhere as they started on the south side of town and worked their way to the north and then back again. People waited on corners, anxious for the fire truck, and later joined by a city police car, to pass by. Families came out of their homes, socially distanced from others, to wave to the Easter Bunny.
Ciarkowski said the idea came to him after hearing about other communities who did similar parades. He said he saw it as a way to make people happy in a difficult situation and was pleased with the results.
Chloe Hentkowski, dressed as the Easter Bunny, enjoyed her trek through town, saying she was honored to bring a bright spot to people’s day. Hentkowski is a junior at Rogers City High School who would usually be using her right arm to play softball, but instead wore it out waving for two hours.
Mike Myers, Kiwanis Club president, said the club members were disappointed to cancel the annual Easter Egg hunt, but were pleased to help out on Easter Sunday’s tour.
“The fire department asked if we had a bunny, which of course we do, and I had already set up Chloe to be our Easter Bunny,” Myers said. They will also be giving away treats packed with school lunches distributed Fridays.
