Paula Karol wants to provide a little spring fun by placing more than 75 papier-mâché Easter eggs filled with her homemade candy around the Island for folks to go out and find.
Karol, a dermatologist at Vineyard Dermatology, started up her own candy company last spring called Vineyard Confections after the pandemic hit.
“I make everything except chocolate. Mainly hard candies, caramels, brittles, things like that,” she said. “I started out the business as a small thing, and it has really just progressed over time.”
Karol said she was inspired by another scavenger hunt initiative started by a friend, and wanted to offer a similar experience to the community. “It’s kind of a nice pick-me-up — a nice community thing that I think people might appreciate,” Karol said.
Karol has put samples of her finest sweets in each of the eggs, such as hard candies, mini lollipops, sea salt caramels, and other tasty treats.
If people find an egg, they can snap a picture of it and post it to the Vineyard Confections Facebook page to be entered into a random drawing for some delicious prizes.
According to Karol, the eggs “won’t be well-hidden,” and are meant to provide a fun, relaxed experience for all ages. “This isn’t just for kids. I want older people to find the eggs as well,” Karol said. “I want people to be aware so they can keep their eyes open when they are around town, or if they see any of the eggs.”
Although Karol put her egg hunt event on the Vineyard Confections Facebook and Instagram pages, she wanted to reach more people, so she took out an ad in The Times.
Soon, Karol said, she will have her website up and running, and will handle communications from there.
According to Karol, she has always enjoyed arts and crafts, but this project is purely to provide some positivity and entertainment for folks who have been largely cooped up with little to do. She noted how the egg is a sign of rebirth and new beginnings. “Everyone has had a really tough year with COVID. I feel like I am very lucky to live in this community, and putting out the eggs is almost like a little ‘we will get through this COVID thing together’ reminder to people,” she said.
