Hopping Around Orland Park Crossing

With spring in the air and Easter right around the corner, this past month was packed with community events to celebrate.

Among them, Orland Park Crossing was flooded March 25 with children and their families for its Easter event.

Many local families enjoyed a sunny and brisk afternoon at the shopping center, where they were invited to hop around to the various stores to collect Easter treats. Each child received a free Easter pail, while supplies lasted, to use as they went store to store.

The shopping center has hosted an Easter event for the past several years and continues to grow and change the event from year to year. This year, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza served food, and a balloonist and face painter were present, as well as the Easter bunny, who was available for photos.

“We try to mix it up with different stuff,” said Kevin Bingham, property manager at Edwards Realty Co., which owns Orland Park Crossing. “And we try to get the businesses involved. … Each year, we change it up a little and always try to look at what worked and what didn’t work the last year.”

Roughly 10 businesses within the shopping center participated in the event, and more than 300 families were estimated to be in attendance, said Taylor Blagrave, marketing manager at Edwards Realty.

“Any time we have an event here, it’s really to increase the foot traffic and awareness for the businesses,” Blagrave said. “We also want people to know the shopping center is community oriented.”

For the businesses, the event was an opportunity to bring attention to their shops while also giving back to the local community. Smallcakes celebrated its one-year anniversary the day before the event, and owner Matt Hackney said he was excited to continue celebrating by opening the doors to the community for the Easter event.

Smallcakes not only hosted the balloonist but also gave away mini cupcakes and ice cream samples.

Previously a corporate banker, part of Hackney’s drive to open Smallcakes one year ago was to be a part of a local business that was a involved in the community and strived to give back. The events the shopping center hosts provide the perfect opportunities for Hackney and the company to do just that.

“Part of why I wanted to open the shop was because I wanted to be more in the community,” he said. “We want to show people that we provide really good quality cupcakes but also have a special effort to help the community. … We’re more than just a bakery; we love to give back. Our business model is based on supporting the community.”

Attendees said they enjoyed the opportunity to get out with their children and grandchildren for a fun community event. Among them, Orland Park residents Trish and Al Samuelson were excited to be sharing the weekend with their 22-month-old granddaughter Alice Okichich, whose parents were moving to Orland Park over the weekend.

“I didn’t expect this many people to be here,” Trish said. “It’s nice to get everyone out, and it’s a nice day. … We like to do any of the kids’ things with her, especially around the holidays.”

Friends Deborah Geghen, an Orland Park resident, and Debbie Janet, a Homer Glen resident, came to the event together with their children, who are friends from school.

“We thought we’d try to find an egg hunt or something to do with them on a Sunday,” Geghen said.

Waiting in line to see the balloonist at Smallcakes, Gaven, 7, and Grace Geghen, 5, along with Nathan Janet, 5, explored the prizes they received from the other businesses they visited while their mothers were chatting.

“My favorite part is the candy,” Nathan said.