This weekend was a dreary one for what is usually seen as a bright holiday, Easter. Despite the rainy weather, dozens of families came out to the Bill Reynolds Sports Complex on Saturday for the Bainbridge Decatur County Recreation Authority’s (BDCRA) Bunny Hop Easter egg hunt. According to BDCRA marketing and special events coordinator Ana Baty, somewhere between 200 and 250 people attended.

The egg hunt was over relatively quickly, perhaps due to it being more of an “egg grab” than a hunt; children were split up by age and assigned to different fields, with the eggs spread out across the fields.

After the egg hunt, any kids who stayed until the rain could get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny, and had several games that they could choose from to play, including trash can pong, corn hole boards, and giant tennis. “We tried to keep all our events somewhat sports-based since that’s our deal,” Baty said.

“I really appreciate the community coming out, even with the weather being how it was. It was a very good time,” she continued.

The next major event on the Rec Authority’s calendar is Opening Day this weekend. “It’s really an opening day for all sports, but it’s gonna focus on baseball, tee ball, softball. All spring sports have seen significant increases since last year: youth soccer saw an increase of 40.46% over last year, from 173 kids participating to 243; youth tee ball saw an increase of 61.94% from last year, from 134 up to 217; youth baseball saw an increase of 35.11%, from 94 to 127 kids participating; girl’s softball saw an increase of 72.88%, up from 59 to 102; and youth track and field went from having no participants to 38. Overall, the Rec Authority’s spring sports has seen a total increase of 58.04% this year.

“We are excited for things to get in full swing,” Baty said. “There’s been a lot of preparation to get us where we’re at, and we’re very excited that our sports keep growing.”