Emma Galeotti puts a chocolate treat inside one of 88 plastic Easter eggs on Friday, March 29 in the Saranac Lake Free Library's children's reading room. They will be hidden inside the library on Saturday, March 30, for a non-denominational Easter egg hunt that begins at 10 a.m. (Enterprise photo — Andy Flynn)

SARANAC LAKE — There will be several opportunities for local children to celebrate Easter a day before the religious holiday, including egg hunts and a visit from the Easter bunny.

The Village Mercantile at 97 Main St., Saranac Lake, will be hosting a visit by the Easter bunny from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, according to manager and buyer Terry Reed.

“I just wanted to give the kids in the area something exciting to think about,” Reed said. “Kids that come in can get a treat. They pick from a variety of treats out of the basket.”

Next door, the Saranac Lake Free Library will host a non-denominational Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. today. Each colorful plastic egg will have chocolate treats inside. In all, 88 eggs will be hidden inside the library, according to Emma Galeotti, who organized the library’s hunt.

“It has evolved into a regular venue on Saturday morning,” Galeotti said. “The parents can go to the market and then hit the library.”

At 11 a.m. today, the High Peaks Church and Go Fish Thrift Store will be sponsoring an Easter egg hunt — featuring 5,000 eggs — at Riverside Park in Saranac Lake. There will also be three bike giveaways and other giveaways.

In Long Lake, the Lions Club will be hosting an Easter egg hunt from 9 a.m. to noon today on the front lawn of the Long Lake Central School.

On Sunday, the Whiteface Mountain Ski Center in Wilmington will host a few Easter events.

A non-denominational Easter service atop Little Whiteface begins at 8 a.m. The Cloudsplitter Gondola (free for the service) will open its doors at 7:15 a.m., welcoming all, according to whiteface.com.

The ski center will also host an Easter breakfast from 8 to 10:30 a.m. in the Base Camp Market (scrambled eggs, home fries, choice of sausage or bacon and an English muffin, as well as French toast).

And the annual Whiteface Easter Egg Hunt will begin at noon, pending weather and conditions. There will be two age groups: 6 and under and 7-12, “each boasting an abundance of eggs stuffed with fantastic surprises,” according to the website. The ultimate prize for both groups is “a coveted golden egg” that will contain a 6 and under/Junior SKI3 Season Pass for the next ski season. There will also be one silver egg per age group, each hiding another surprise. The 6 and under group will start first at the Main Base Area and will be followed by the 7-12 age group on Wolf (skiers/riders from the top of Wolf, non-skiers from the bottom).