Sisters seniors enjoy Easter bonnet contest

Easter came early for seniors at Sisters Community Church on Tuesday, March 22; they celebrated with a bonnet-decorating contest.

For the previous couple of weeks, local seniors had been busy decorating straw hats with flowers, ribbon, cotton balls, foam shapes and other spring décor for the annual Easter bonnet contest sponsored by Central Oregon Council on Aging (COCOA).

And that included Sisters Senior Council President Sharon Ling, who coordinates the fun and activities scheduled each Tuesday at Sisters Community Church for more than 40 seniors.

"This roomy area in the Sisters Community Church acts as our senior center every Tuesday, and it's funded by COCOA," Ling said. "From exercise to educational speakers, we like to do a lot of activities. The events always center around the luncheon, and activities vary from week to week. The Easter parade and bonnet contest is something the seniors look forward to and love."

Ling took creativity to a new level by decorating her Easter bonnet with plastic eggs, ducks, ribbons and little felt bunnies that hung all the way around the rim of her bonnet.

Seated at one of the five colorfully spring-dressed tables, senior Virginia West sported very fluffy bunny ears on her bonnet, and explained to The Nugget why she keeps coming back each Tuesday.

"It's the socialization; you are able to get together with a whole bunch of nice people and have a great time! We love coming here and doing activities, like this Easter bonnet contest, because it brings us out of the house. This is great fun for the entire senior community."

"And we get to play bingo after every luncheon," added Grace Schierling, who was seated near West.

This year there was a surprise visit from the Easter Bunny, played by Annette Ehrenstrom, owner of High Desert Hair Co. in Sisters.

"I am going to surprise my mom, Evelyn Wolf, who is here for the Easter bonnet contest and luncheon," Ehrenstrom said.

The Easter Bunny made her grand entrance to the song "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" a popular Easter song composed in 1949 by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins.

And Wolf was surprised that she was the mother to the big white fluffy rabbit that was handing out Easter candy to all the seniors.

"I really look forward to Tuesdays," Wolf said smiling. "And it was my daughter who made my Easter bonnet."

The Easter bonnet contest began right before lunch, and all the seniors who participated by making bonnets paraded around the luncheon tables to music classics such as "Easter Parade," a popular song written by Irving Berlin.

The volunteer kitchen staff that included Kathryn Killian, Sally Benton, Kay Landers and Paula Berry served as the judges for the contest.

Gaylene Craven was third-place winner, followed by Evelyn Wolf who came in second, and Beverly Thomas took the honors in first place.

The three were all very happy with their winnings. Two of the prizes, a fabric tote and table runner, were hand-crafted by Sisters resident Maggie Bull.

"Maggie does a lot of sewing work in town, from covering cushions to making pillows," Ling said. "She enjoys it."