Having spent more than half of my working life in the field of recreation and parks, I thought I had heard of, participated in or personally organized every special event known to mankind.
But my hat is off to the folks of the Bengies-Chase Recreation Council, who made me sit up and smile upon finding news of an upcoming special event being held the weekend after Thanksgiving.
The rec council will hold its Candy Cane Hunt on Saturday, Nov. 30, at Eastern Regional Park, 11723 Eastern Ave. in Chase. Registration will be held beginning at 8:30 a.m. and hunts for children in a variety of age groups (2 and under; 3-4; 5-6;7-8; and 9-11) will begin promptly at 9 a.m. Hunts will be staggered from 9 a.m. to noon, depending on age group, according to a notice from the council.
Other holiday-related activities will be held throughout the morning and participants are encouraged to bring donations for the council’s hat and mitten tree.
I have many fond memories of working with Bengies-Chase, both as a part-time rec leader in the late 1970s and early 1980s and as the rec community supervisor in the 1990s. Special events, including the council’s annual Easter egg hunt, the haunted house that once transformed the Bengies Community Building, and bon fires at Miami Beach (affectionately referred to by staff as Miami Beach North), all bring back memories of fun, camaraderie and the occasional debacle.
At some point, in the later 1970s, the council still used real eggs for the Easter egg hunt. The Golden Age clubs that met at the community building traditionally helped hard boil and dye the eggs used for the event. Early on the morning of the hunt, I was one of many people who helped spread the eggs across the campus of Seneca Elementary School. After someone accidentally dropped an egg while attempting to hide it, we were horrified to learn the egg was raw. It turned out many of the eggs were raw — the result of one person putting a pot of eggs on the stove and anther person promptly taking it off to place another pot on the heat.
I think the use of plastic eggs filled with treats began the following year!
In any case, the idea of a candy cane hunt is new to me and I think it’s wonderful the staff and volunteers of Bengies-Chase are burning the creative oil to come up with new and different activities for the community.
The event is free to all. For more information, call the rec council office, 410-887-5349.
