Don't be fooled by the snow on the ground. Easter is on its way. While it is arriving earlier than usual, there will still be plenty of chances to put on the Sunday best and rummage through the grass for treats.

Throughout the weekend, hundreds of families will join in the festivities to celebrate the one day of the year when it is a good thing to find a green egg behind the refrigerator.

And the various brunches, egg hunts and Easter Bunny visits will remind people once again that the warmth of spring is on its way.

One popular Easter egg-stravaganza is the annual hunt at Hoopes Park. Sponsored by the Fleming-Owasco Kiwanis Club, the event boasts thousands of hidden plastic eggs and a chance to meet with the Easter Bunny.

Many of the hidden eggs will have inside them a note informing the finders that they won chocolate treats and gift baskets.

Two lucky children will win a bike donated by Wal-Mart. Participants will also be able to make canned food donations to the St. Alphonsus food pantry.

The hunt, which will celebrate its 59th year Saturday, has become an annual tradition, said Lee Brew of the Kiwanis Club.

“Many of the parents participated in it when they were children,” Brew said. “It is a family event with good, clean fun.”

But make sure to show up on time, Brew added. With thousands of children often showing up, the siren that signals the start of the hunt will not hold past 10 a.m.

“It is usually over in about five minutes,” Brew said.

Though Easter is the Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, many of its symbols have other origins.

According to the History Channel's Web site, history.com, settlers from Germany founded the tradition in America of a bunny named “Oschter Haws” who visits houses and leaves colored eggs for children.

The eggs themselves symbolize rebirth and renewal, while the colors represent the sunlight of spring, according to the Web site.

“Eastre” was also the name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility who was often accompanied by a hare.

For many in Auburn, the day is about having fun with family, and those who can't make it to Hoopes Park still have a few egg options.

Herman Field will become a large hunting ground starting at 11 a.m.

Children from toddler age up to 11 will be able to comb the park for plastic colored eggs, and two lucky ones will find a silver and gold egg to win a bike and a yet-to-be-disclosed prize.

Charles Humphrey Sr., who helped organize the hunt, said that it can be tricky to find good hiding spots, as the event has taken place for eight years.

Some of the participants have pretty good memories, but not all of them, he said.

“We hid the big ones in the same spot one year, and it still took a long time. You never know,” said Humphrey, a member of the men's community service club Men With a Purpose, which sponsors the egg hunt.

But the whole point of hiding an egg is to have a bright-eyed child find it, Humphrey said.

“The main thing is just to help out the kids, just to see the kids enjoy themselves,” he said. “We all enjoy it.”

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be contacted at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net

If you go

What: Easter Egg hunt featuring the Easter Bunny

When: 10 a.m. Saturday

Where: Hoopes Park, Auburn

Cost: Free

What: Breakfast with the Easter Bunny

When: 10 a.m. to noon Saturday

Where: The Athenaeum, 150 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles

Cost: Free

What: Easter Egg hunt sponsored by Men with a Purpose

When: 11 a.m. Saturday

Where: Herman field, 17 Chapman Ave.

Cost: Free