Two and a half minutes of pure Easter joy

The annual Franklin Easter egg hunt that was put on pandemic hiatus returned to Fountain Park Friday.

Mind you it was scheduled for last Saturday and, mind you, it had a rain date for this Saturday, and mind you, the forecast for Saturday morning isn't what you'd call egg hunt friendly. 

So the Franklin organizers, who surround their leader Ronnie Beith, made a call Thursday afternoon to hold the event Friday night instead.

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No one knew prior to that it would be Friday night. There was no long-time planning that it would be Friday night. Last week the organizers simply said to keep an eye on the Franklin Events page for instructions. They didn't say maybe it would be Friday night. Just that they needed flexibility due to the shaky weather forecast.

Based on the turnout Friday, folks listened to that advice.

They apparently kept an eye on social media, read the newspaper, saw an internet post or whatever - cause the word got out. Thousands of eggs were strewn across Fountain Park and hundreds of kids and their folks showed up.

Whatever is in the drinking water the Franklin community consumes is working to make each event they do a success. This egg hunt had disaster written all over it - it was canceled and the rain date looked awful. But the organizers, with smiles strewn across their lips, said we got this.

​And the community and the Easter Bunny had their back. "There were a few bumps," said Beith. "But if the people attending don't know of them, it doesn't matter."

Hours of preparation filling eggs came down to, will folks get the word?

​They did.

And boatloads of candy and prizes were doled out on a brisk, but warm spring-ish evening in a little town in northwest Pennsylvania that somehow always seems to get it right. One person quipped "Franklin could hold a nose-picking contest and it would be a success." 

Maybe that would be their line to never cross, but based on prior evidence this town knows how to give their community a fun time.

Happy Easter!