By CONNOR HOLMES, “mailto:cholmes@breezenewspapers.com”>cholmes@breezenewspapers.com

Even the on-again, off-again late morning showers on Saturday couldn’t dissuade more than 1,500 kids and their families from attending the Mike Greenwell’s 17th Annual Easter Bunny Trail.

The trail, set up on the family fun park’s miniature golf course, gave kids in the Cape an opportunity to gather candy from 13 different business sponsors at the various holes of the course, according to event coordinator and Mike Greenwell’s manager, Dana Waters.

The trail used to be an egg hunt, but was changed to give kids an equal opportunity to get candy.

It’s modeled after the Mike Greenwell’s Safe Halloween, said Waters.

“People are so much happier,” she said. “All the kids get an equal amount.“

Waters has been an event coordinator for the Greenwell’s Easter event for all 17 years that it has taken place, she said.

The event took place from 10 a.m. to noon and was geared toward children 12 and under. The candy was free, said Waters.

And, with free candy came lines wrapping the building and through the mini-golf course, a line that — despite the need for umbrellas — kept its length throughout most of the morning.

“It was crazy,” said Renee Shull, an attending parent, about the line. Shull came to walk the bunny trail with her 3-year-old daughter, Brianna Cavacd.

“We had a good time,” said Shull. “I told (Brianna) we would get to hunt eggs, so she’s a little disappointed.”

However, the candy Brianna collected more than made up for the small initial let-down, she said.

Brianna agreed with her mother, saying her favorite part of the trail was — of course — the candy.

But the trail wasn’t all sweets and dental headaches for parents, as among the event’s various sponsors, including businesses such as Nonna’s Pizza and El Primo Pizza while Ada’s Health Food Supermarket employees handed out some organic snacks to passing children.

“(The kids) are having a ball,” said Joanne Paulino, a Clarity in Marketing representative of Ada’s. “They pass by and say, ‘there’s Ada’s, we love Ada’s.’ That’s kind of cool.“

Toni King, a 21/2 year employee of Ada’s, was handing out the healthy snacks with coworkers Steven Sypher and John Sargent.

“The kids are cute,” said King.

Another valued community member, the Cape Coral Police Department’s Jeff Jones, was also among those handing out candy on the trail. Jones has been participating in the Greenwells Easter event for 17 years, said Waters.

The event also gave families an opportunity to donate money or pet food to local animal shelters and to take photographs of their children with the Easter bunny at the trail’s end.

Mike Greenwell’s Family Fun Park is at 35 Pine Island Road and offers such activities as go-cart rides, miniature golf, batting cages and various indoors arcade games. The park is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and is open until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, according to the park’s Web site.