You may have heard that the Cabbage Patch Kids have a new home north of Cleveland, so it’s only natural that the Magical Easter Eggstravaganza, the yearly event that includes many “Kid”-related events, would move with them.

This Saturday, many of the Eggstravaganza’s events will take place at the newly relocated BabyLand, a 70,000-square-foot facility with quite a big front yard — perfect for an Easter egg hunt.

Margaret McLean, the public relations coordinator for Appalachian Artworks, BabyLand’s parent company, said the day will kick off with Breakfast with the Easter Bunny & Cabbage Patch Kids, which will include a meal of eggs, grits and other fixings, and the company of some “magical” friends, in BabyLand’s ballroom.

Kids can also get their picture with the Easter Bunny, who, according to McLean, has a brand new “basket” to sit in.

“The Easter basket is going to be the Easter bunny chair, so it will be a really cute little place for the kids to get their photos taken with the Easter bunny,” McLean said.

McLean said prizes also will be given away at the breakfast, and reservations are required for the event.

Throughout the day on BabyLand’s grounds, arts and crafts booths will be open, and kids can check out the petting zoo or take a pony ride.

The Easter parade will take place at 11 a.m. in downtown Cleveland, with an new grand marshal: a Cabbage Patch Kid Cutie dressed as the Easter Bunny.

The fun will continue at 2 p.m., when kids will descend on BabyLand’s lawn to scramble for their share of the 25,000 eggs hidden there.

Kids will be divided from newborn to 5 years old, and 6 to 10 years old for the hunt, and McLean said certificates are hidden in some eggs that can be redeemed for prizes like Cabbage Patch Kids.

“We have little certificates, so we’ll put that in and people will be able to do the prize redemption right after the hunt,” she said.
A new addition to the Eggstravaganza this year will be the Easter bonnet contest.

“We’re asking them to make an Easter bonnet for their Cabbage Patch Kid, and then we’re just going to have one for children and one for adults, so we’re going to let the audience do the judging,” McLean said. “Even if they just put a bow on it, it’s fine with us. (We just want to encourage them) to be artistic and creative.”

Two other events this weekend will offer different ways to celebrate Easter.

Up the road in Helen, kids can decorate Easter eggs with natural materials like foods and spices at the “Natural Dyes for Easter Eggs” event, set for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Smithgall Woods-Dukes Creek Conservation Area.

In Gainesville on Saturday, dogs can get in on the hunting fun at the Easter Bone Hunt, with prizes for the best hunters at the 10 a.m. Laurel Bark Park event.

Next weekend is also packed with Easter fun, with egg hunts planned in Athens for everyone from little kids to teens.

At the Teen Easter Egg Hunt, set for 6 p.m. April 2, teens age 11 to 15 can use flashlights to search the Rocksprings Park Community Center in Athens for eggs holding certificates for prizes such as movie tickets and DVDs.

Unicoi State Park in Helen will have more Easter events including visits with the Easter Bunny, crafts and an egg hunt on April 3.

Also on April 3, you can take your family to Atlanta for some prehistoric fun at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Dinosaur Egg Hunts, with games, prizes and egg hunts for ages 3 to 12.
Regular Fernbank admission prices will apply for the event.