Breakfast with the bunny: Friends of Ironton to have annual event at Ro-Na
Published 10:09 am Tuesday, April 2, 2019
The Friends of Ironton will kick off the Easter season with their annual Breakfast with the Easter Bunny on Saturday.
The breakfast event will be at the Ro-Na Theater in downtown Ironton and begins at 9 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m. The cost is $6 person and includes pancakes, sausage and a coffee, milk or juice. Along with the Easter Bunny, several other characters will also be available at the event for photos.
The event has become an annual event for many people and very popular with kids.
Besides breakfast and the Easter Bunny, the event includes musical performances by Ironton High School students, kid’s activities and a gift for the kids.
Suzy Hamlin, Friends of Ironton member, said while she doesn’t know the exact number of people who attend, the event is busy with a steady stream of people coming in from 9 a.m. until about a quarter until 1 p.m.
“There is something for everybody. The kids just have a ball,” she said, adding last year, she was pretty sure a couple of the kids were there for the whole event. “I think the kids always truly enjoy themselves, some of them come dressed up and it is really cute. We just invite everyone to come out and have a good time.”
All proceeds from the breakfast will go toward the continued restoration of the 1940s theater into a community and arts center.
The Ro-Na has been under renovation since 2008 when the City of Ironton took ownership of the then-dilapidated building at 310 S. Third Street. The Friends of Ironton formed in 2009 to spearhead the effort and took ownership of the building. The building has been used for events during the annual Rally on the River as well as film festivals, Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, Breakfast with Santa and other events to raise money for the theater’s restoration.
“We haven’t done it by ourselves, sometimes we have had to get grants,” Hamlin said. “But grants don’t cover everything, so that’s why we have these events. It’s a lot of work and a lot of free time, but we really enjoy it.”