For the second consecutive year, the Sharion Bailey Whitlock Proclamation and Birthday Weekend and Easter Egg Hunt Extravaganza has been postponed and will be rescheduled.
In 2019, organizers — Meet Me at the Court and The Bailey Family — were forced to reschedule the event twice due to inclement weather.
This year, the seventh annual SBWPBWEEHE is being postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, said Veronica Bailey, founder and chief executive officer of Meet Me at the Court.
It is the second such announcement Bailey has made within the past several days. Last week, she announced that the annual Sharion Bailey Whitlock Spring Cleanup had been postponed because of COVID-19. The cleanup had been scheduled for March 28.
The SBWPBWEEHE was set for the upcoming weekend, starting Friday with a Meet-and-Greet, fish fry, BBQ and soul food dinner and a balloon release in honor of Whitlock, Bailey’s late sister.
The Easter Egg Hunt/Family Fun Day was to follow Saturday.
The egg hunt is broken down into age categories and typically includes hundreds of eggs that contain candy or notifications for prizes — bicycles, electronic devices, gift cards and toys — that may be redeemed at prize tables.
Each year, the Fun Day segment of the event is jam-packed with a variety of family-friendly activities, including food, large inflatables, games, motorcycle rides, face-painting, a three-point shootout, talent show and more.
The event, which is free and open to the public, usually draws scores of children and families.
Announcements are forthcoming about when the community cleanup and SBWPBWEEHE will be rescheduled, Bailey said.
“We don’t want to subject anybody to being ill. We want to follow all precautions at this time,” she said. “We can do a cleanup at any time and we can do a proclamation weekend any time. I’d rather be safe than sorry.”