Easter, social distancing style

A Hueytown neighborhood saves an Easter tradition, and brings cheer when it’s needed most.

By Jeana Durst, content director, JBMC Media
Photos contributed by Debbie Kiker

The coronavirus has changed almost every facet of our lives—including how we celebrated Easter festivities. The families of the West Wind Neighborhood in Hueytown pitched in to save the Easter tradition of egg hunts.

The Easter Bunny adapted to the shelter-at-home ordinances and visited families from a safe distance in the West Wind neighborhood in Hueytown.

Hueytown City Council President Jay Jacks got the idea to host a social distance Easter Egg Hunt after seeing how much families enjoyed checking out the teddy bears on display in windows. From April 3 through 12, large paper Easter eggs adorned the houses of this neighborhood of about 400 residents. A simple pattern that could be made with paper was distributed, decorated and pasted in many window. “People had climbed up into dormers in their attics and put eggs up there, and one couple who has never had kids decorated with plastic eggs throughout their yard,” Jacks says.

The season’s most famous rabbit even made the rounds in a golf cart to the delight of the children, who stood in their yards and waved to the Easter Bunny. Jacks describes the positive effect it had during the stressful time. “Each night I saw families riding and walking (not near other people), and I really think just seeing other people helps clean your mind,” he says. Even if neighbors couldn’t visit, they could wave and shout across lawns.

The Easter Bunny had a custom ride through the neighborhood.

What was happening was more than an egg hunt. This joint effort was just one more example of communities finding a way to connect during the COVID-19 quarantine despite the obstacles. Jacks, who has lived in the Hueytown/Concord area all of his life, remarks that Hueytown has always been a tight-knit community, and points out this silver lining: “I truly believe in this horrible time there are great things that are coming from it; we are rebuilding families and rebuilding community bonds.”

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