HOUSTON – The Easter Bunny made a special appearance on Friday in a northwest Harris County neighborhood.
Dan and Cindy Boutwell, along with the Boutwell Properties Team, arranged the special drive-by. Marketing director Jamie Calvert said the team usually plans an event for Easter, but this year they had to get a little more creative.
“Easter is not cancelled,” Calvert said. “We just wanted to find a different way to do it and bring some smiles to kids.”
Dozens of excited children and their parents came out in the Bridgeland neighborhood to get a glimpse of the elusive bunny. Courtney Jones brought her two daughters outside to greet the Easter visitor.
“My kids were super excited,” Jones said. “We haven’t been able to get out in over three weeks.”
“Easter may look a lot different this year, but that does not mean the kids can’t still have fun,” said Akhilesh Gaharwar, who brought his 4-year-old daughter to see the surprise.
“It’s amazing to see her smile and go out a little bit,” Gaharwar said. “Maintain a safe distance and have fun.”
Six-year-old Melissa Mattos was thrilled to see the Easter Bunny. Her mother, Michelle, said she was unsure how the coronavirus would impact their holiday spirit this year.
“She was concerned about the bunny not coming this year because of the coronavirus,” Mattos said. “We were telling her maybe he’s coming, maybe not, but she’s really excited to see the bunny.”
The Easter Bunny traveled through the neighborhood in style -- riding on the back of a red Ford Mustang convertible.
“This was just one way we could share and bring some joy, since everyone is kind of stuck at home,” Calvert said.
He spent most of the day waving and taking non-traditional Easter photos. The team was sure to observe the 6-foot social distance rule.
“A lot of kids can’t do photos with the Easter bunny this year, and so this is one way we can do it,” Calvert said.
The Boutwell Properties Team took it one step further by creating a phone app where parents can track the bunny’s path.
“You can follow exactly where the Easter bunny is,” Calvert said. “Going all through the neighborhood, so you don’t miss it.”
Rosario Franco and her two sons used the app to track down the bunny’s location.
“It’s very easy,” Franco said. “Just click on the link and it starts showing where he’s going.”
The Bellar family found out about the drive-by bunny sighting via Facebook. They took their golf cart out to find him.
“Gives us a chance to kind of take a break from everything that’s going on in the world and appreciate what this weekend, what Easter means for us and our family and so many around the world,” Todd Bellar said.
The Easter Bunny plans to visit several neighborhoods in the Fairfield area on Saturday.
You can track his trail here: https://glympse.com/07sz-v9kt
For more information on his whereabouts, check out The Boutwell Team on Facebook.