C-L-K area celebrates April with Easter eggs

CALUMET TOWNSHIP -- April is an appropriate name for the fourth month of the calendar year, because the name comes from the Latin word aperire, meaning "to open," as in flowers, blossoms and Easter eggs, which will be popping out in the villages of Calumet and Laurium in April.

For the first event, the Calumet Theatre and Hoppily Ever After have partnered to bring Easter to Calumet on April 9 by hosting a children's Easter event, Hoppy Easter at the Calumet Theatre.

The community is invited to join the celebration on Saturday, April 9, from noon to 4 p.m. for an Easter egg hunt, arts and crafts, free hotdogs, and visits from the Easter Bunny, said Jacob Mihelich, Children's Programming Committee volunteer at the Calumet Theatre.

Hoppily Ever After will also have cuddly bunnies in the ballroom to socialize with children of all ages. This event is free and open to all.

Visitors are asked to enter through the main theater doors.

The partners would like to thank their generous sponsors for making this event possible: Walmart of Houghton, Snyder's of Calumet, Pat's IGA and Vollwerths. Without their generous support, they would not be able to host these events. Sea Green 50/50 Raffle tickets will also be on sale, along with a variety of theater merchandise and concessions to accompany the free hot dogs.

Hoppily Ever After is a nonprofit domestic rabbit rescue located in Laurium, which says: "We would love to adopt our rabbits out to families that are open minded."

The mission statement of the recently-formed nonprofit is to care for abandoned domesticated rabbits. Once they are domesticated, the organization's website states, rabbits typically do not have the ability to care for themselves in the wild. They are prey animals, and once they have been shown protection they often forget how to protect themselves.

"We are in Laurium, which is a close knit community," The rabbit shelter stated on its social media website page. "At Hoppily Ever After, we take in domestic rabbits that are in need of a home. We provide medical care, comfortable living arrangements, plenty of life enrichment activities, and their essentials. We currently operate solely from our basement at this time, but in the spring we hope to have an outdoor enclosure (barn) and a fenced-in area where the rabbits can enjoy the sun or shade, fresh air, and fresh grass."

Information on Hoppily Ever After can be found on their website.

Laurium Village shouts "Hip-Hop Hooray!" to announce its Free Easter Egg Hunt event one week later.

On April 16, Laurium Village is inviting "egg-splorers" of all ages to hop in on some Easter fun! The Village is hosting an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 16, at 3 p.m. The event will be held at the Laurium Village Hall ballroom and is free for all ages.

"It's a breath of fresh air," said Amy Schneiderhan, Village Trustee. "We've been locked up all winter and this is a great opportunity to get out and do a family-friendly activity.Families are encouraged to come out and enjoy an eggstravagant event."

Activities will include an egg hunt, a visit and photo opportunity with the Easter Bunny, raffle prizes, and a chance to meet real bunnies from the Hoppily Ever After bunny rescue.

"Children ages four and under will have a unique egg hunting area, so they aren't at risk of being knocked over by older children," said Michael Carlson, Laurium Village Planning Commission member.

Children will be able to decorate bags to collect their eggs, but families are encouraged to bring a basket or container for each participant.