Tompkins Weekly

Groton on the Inside: The many ways Groton celebrates Easter



The cast of Groton Assembly of God’s Easter drama, “Guilty as Charged” during one of their rehearsals. Left to right: Joe Wright, Tony Lanzilotta, Elias Rivera, Justin Besler.

The cast of Groton Assembly of God’s Easter drama, “Guilty as Charged” during one of their rehearsals. Left to right: Joe Wright, Tony Lanzilotta, Elias Rivera, Justin Besler.

When it comes to holidays, the Groton community is generally “all in,” as the saying goes, and Easter time is no exception. From bunnies, chocolate, and eggs, to music and drama, or traditional church services and celebrations, Groton has it all.

Whether you are new to the area, or have been here for what may seem like forever, I have compiled many, if not most, of the events taking place over the course of the next 10 days or so with the hope that everyone might find something to participate in that would make this season special and meaningful for them.

Easter egg hunts
The Groton Fire Department will hold its annual Easter egg hunt at Groton Elementary School from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 20, with over 40 pounds of candy and special golden eggs with special prizes for each age group. Children will be hunting in age groups 1 to 3, 4 to 7, and 8 to 13.

Rain or shine, The McLean Community Church, 50 Church St., will be sponsoring an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 20 at 2 p.m. Children 12 and under are invited to bring a basket to collect eggs for candy and prizes, and refreshments will be served.

St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church will hold its annual Easter bake sale at the First National Bank of Groton from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, April 20.

A judge, a woman U.S. president, and a casket
In a dramatic, contemporary retelling of the Easter story, written by Sam Neno and directed by Sharon Newman, Groton Assembly of God, 701 S. Main St., will present “Guilty as Charged,” with two showings at 8 and 11 a.m. Sunday, April 21.

Starring Justin Besler, Tony Lanzilotta, Elias Rivera, Erica Short, Jessamine Stone, Michael Stone, and Joe Wright, this seven-member cast in this original, gripping drama, will depict the story of Easter in a way you may never have imagined it before.

The church will also serve a free continental breakfast from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in between showings.

Holy Week services
McLean Community Church will have a 10 a.m. Palm Sunday service on April 14, and a Maundy Thursday service at 7 p.m. April 18 with the stripping of the altar. Sunrise service begins at 6 a.m. Sunday, April 21 in the church sanctuary, with breakfast following at 7:15 a.m. in the fellowship hall. Easter worship service begins at 10 a.m. with the flowering of the cross.

In addition to its Easter drama, Groton Assembly of God will host an Easter sunrise service at 7 a.m. at Stonehedges golf course, 549 Stevens Road. All are welcome.

Peruville New Testament Church, 1830 Peru S. Lansing Rd., offers a 7 a.m. Sunday sunrise service, 8 a.m. free pancake breakfast, and 9:30 a.m. Easter service.

St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, 312 Locke Rd., will join with its sister parish, All Saints Church, 347 Ridge Road, Lansing for Holy Thursday Mass for the Celebration of the Lord’s Supper at 7 p.m. on April 18.

Good Friday is a day of mourning on which Christians commemorate the death of Jesus Christ. “Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion” will take place at 3 p.m. on April 19 at its other sister church, Holy Cross, on George Road in Dryden.

“The Great Easter Vigil Celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord” will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, and the Mass for the Resurrection of Our Lord will be at 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 21 at St. Anthony’s.

West Groton Bible Church, 854 Cobb Street, will hold a Good Friday service at 6 p.m. Easter worship on Sunday will begin with a fellowship breakfast at 9 a.m., followed by Easter service at 10:30 a.m.

A special Easter gift
The American Red Cross has a severe shortage of type O blood donations and urges type O donors, as well as eligible donors of all blood types, to give now to help ensure lifesaving patient care isn’t impacted this spring. Blood and platelet donors are needed to help ensure blood is available for patients whose survival depends upon transfusions.

There will be a blood drive at the Groton Community Health Care Center, 120 Sykes St., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 20. To schedule an appointment, visit Redcrossblood.org, or download the Blood Donor App. Walk-ins are always welcome.

Groton on the Inside appears weekly. Submit news ideas to Linda Competillo, lmc10@cornell.edu or 607-227-4922.

 

In Brief:

Easter kindness at the library
The Groton Public Library has a new way for people to show kindness in April!
Anyone may drop off Easter baskets with basket grass and goodies inside any time between now and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, and the GPL will offer them to patrons on the free Healthy Tuesday that night.

Not every family can afford to provide their children with an Easter basket of goodies so you could help to make it a reality for families in Groton!

Contact Sara Knobel at director@grotonpubliclibrary.org or Kayli, infoaide1@grotonpubliclibrary.org for more details.

More happenings at the Groton Public Library
Certified instructor, Aniiyah Klock, leads free monthly wellness classes for adults at the GPL on the third Wednesday of each month at 11 a.m. On April 17, “Learning Postures & Creating Vision Boards” will be presented.

The monthly Library Book Club meeting is at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18. They will be discussing the book “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah. All are invited to stop in and join the discussion.

The Friends of the Library will hold its annual meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, April 22, and the GPL annual meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 23.
Voting for the 2019-20 budget and trustee members will take place. Both meetings will be held at the library and are open to the public.

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