An excited crowd greeted the Easter Bunny on Saturday morning at the Fairlane Village mall.
R.J. Corcoran, 3, was the first in line to have his picture taken with the Easter Bunny. His mother, Diane Corcoran, Reading, said they made sure to get to the mall about an hour before the Easter Bunny arrived at 11:30 a.m..
"He woke up all excited to see the Easter Bunny," Diane Corcoran said.
Corcoran, originally from Middleport, said they come to the Fairlane Village mall every year to see both the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus.
"Every year we come here for Christmas and the Easter Bunny," she said. "Schuylkill County will always be home."
Before the arrival of the Easter Bunny, Tom Crowl put on a magic and ventriloquist act.
"I thought it was pretty good and a good way to get the kids excited for the Easter Bunny," Corcoran said.
Crowl has performed at the mall before, but it was the first time he opened for the Easter Bunny there.
"I always enjoy working with kids," Crowl said. "It gives them something to do when they come to the mall, and it gives them a chance to enjoy some fun entertainment with their parents."
Amanda Shadler, Pine Grove, and her two children, Nathan, 5, and Markayla, 9, stumbled upon the show Saturday while shopping at the mall. Although Shalder said they usually make the trip to see the Easter Bunny, she did not know he was arriving Saturday.
"It's just something we've been doing since they were little," Shalder said.
Heather Stein, director of marketing at the mall, said the Easter Bunny always brings a lot of people to the mall.
"We always try to do a lot of stuff for the community and it is always fun for the kids," Stein said.
The Easter Bunny will continue to be at the Fairlane Village mall until Easter Day, April 20. He will be there from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Pet photos will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and April 16.
The Easter Bunny will also be at the Cressona Mall from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.
He will be at the Schuylkill Mall from noon to 5 p.m. today and April 13; 4 to 8 p.m. April 14 to 16; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 12 and 17 to 19. Pet photos with the bunny will also be held from 4 to 8 p.m. April 10 and 17, and noon to 5 p.m. April 13. In addition to Saturday's event, the mall will be hosting an Easter egg hunt on April 12.