Coronavirus Forces Americans To Find Easter Fun At At A Minimum 6 Feet Apart

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Article content NEW YORK Easter is a special holiday to Nora Heddendorf, 6 years old. It's a day she is a fan of dressing up in a fancy dress and shiny shoes and enjoy time with family and friends looking for eggs that are brightly colored.



This year, the coronavirus epidemic has forced her into a state of adaptation. She will complete her Easter outfit by adding a white paper mask, disposable gloves in blue, and disinfectant wipes. After learning that the annual egg hunt in her New Jersey town might be cancelled, she thought of an "rock hunt."



The content of the article Nora's hunt not just substitutes brightly colored stones for eggs, which are scarce at certain stores, but also lets her neighbors do their hunting during their social-distancing walks.



"I was disappointed that it was going to be cancelled because of the virus," the kindergartener told Reuters in a phone interview. "I would like people to be content."



The pandemic has affected everyone from the White House to small towns parks. It has also forced the abandonment of the traditional Easter egg hunts across the United States. Closed churches and cancelled plans for Easter meals for extended families.



But many Americans are still finding ways to have fun during the holidays, from an Oregon candy maker creating chocolate bunnies that wear masks to a Texas church organizing an egg hunt that is virtual using the video game Minecraft.



Article content A few weeks ago, Nora and her mother began organizing her hunt in their town of Medford Lakes. She gathered dozens of DIY kits, each with five rocks as well as four paint colors, instructions, and all wrapped in plastic bags. She put on disposable gloves and sprayed the contents with disinfectant.



She then left the kits outside her home to be picked up by those who wish to take part. The young artist, Nora's Rocks, requested her friends return the adorned rocks she left to her to keep for herself. Just another wordpress site



"Thank you for helping Nora's Rocks bring our town together while remaining separated," said the instruction letter she included in the kits. Email



Samantha Heddendorf, Samantha's mother and the president of an environmental cleanup company which has been cleaning up buildings that have been affected by the coronavirus epidemic, said that the hunt will begin on Good Friday and will continue through Easter Sunday , with new batches of painted rocks being hidden each day.



Article content The goal of this project is to put 500 stones "eggs" in every corner of the 1 mile (2.6 km) town.



"When people are doing their walks with friends, they could look for rocks or Easter Eggs. Samantha Heddendorf stated that they are able to find something to hunt for, then collect them, and have at least a smile to celebrate Easter.



Central Point chocolatier Jeff Shepherd created a plan to help save his Lillie Belle Farms in Oregon from being shut down due to the coronavirus. He informed his Facebook followers that he would make "Covid Bunnies" that are dark and milk chocolate confections with white masks on them and white chocolate ones with blue face masks.



It was a roaring success. Shepherd was able to rehire seven of his full-time employees. He also sold 5,000 bunnies, and is now scrambling to fill back orders.



Article content Safe distancing to stop spread of the virus is what prompted the Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, to move to digital with its Easter Egg hunt, using Minecraft but disabling potentially frightening game elements like monsters.



Reverend Curtis James stated, "Our main goal in life is to share the gospel. But we want the children to still enjoy Easter."



In New Jersey, Nora was excited that her idea was enthusiastically welcomed by so manypeople, with the town mayor stopping by to watch her fill the kits and the local Lions Club inviting her for lunch "when this whole thing is over."



Her favorite "thank you" was wrapped in gift-wrapped rolls toilet paper one of the most common items such as eggs being taken in by panic buyers during the pandemic.



Nora said, "My mom smiled when toilet paper was delivered." (Reporting by Barbara Goldberg, New York; Additional reporting by Rich McKay, Atlanta; Editing by Rosalba Obrien