This April, K.A.R.E. for Kids and Dawson County Parks and Recreation, will host a community Easter egg hunt at Veterans Memorial Park, continuing an annual tradition that has been paused in recent years.
According to K.A.R.E. for Kids Executive Director Tiffany Buchan, the organization has been unable to hold the annual event for the past three years due to bad weather and the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, she and her team hope to make this year’s event a memorable one.
“There’s going to be lots of stuff on the field for the kids,” Buchan said. “So we’re excited for it and we hope it’s going to be so much fun this year.”
The event will include three bouncy houses for children to enjoy, as well as a visit from the Easter bunny for family photos.
The event is free other than the price for concessions, Buchan said. Proceeds from the concession booths will benefit the Future Farmers of America (FFA) club at Dawson County High School. Buchan said that she and her team hope to be able to provide a setting for the club to raise funds they need.
“It’s a free event, so the only thing that there is a fee for is the food and that goes right back to FFA,” Buchan said. “We really want people to support them — they do a lot for us throughout the year with volunteering so that’s a reason we allow them to do the food concessions.”
Events will kick off at 11 a.m. on April 3, and the Easter egg hunt will begin promptly at 2 p.m. Buchan said that since they have been unable to have the event for a few years, there will be even more eggs and prizes than in the past.
“We’re close to about 40,000 eggs that we’re gonna be putting out and we’re also gonna have a lot of different stuff on the field,” Buchan said. “Everything from stuffed animals to little trinkets will be prizes out on the field.”
Children in attendance will be split up by age group, and Buchan said the plan will be to have the 0-3 years group and the 4-6 years group on one field, with the 7-9 years group and the 10-12 years group on the other field.
The event will be slightly different from past years due to COVID-19, according to Buchan. Amerigroup will also be present with a booth offering hand sanitizer and disposable masks, and there will not be face painting or rides from Wayne’s Trains as there has been in the past.
“In years past we always had Wayne’s Trains which the kids all loved and face painting,” Buchan said. “Unfortunately due to COVID, Wayne’s Trains won’t be coming out and we won’t have face painting, but we’ll still have the bouncy houses and other vendors.”
Despite a few cancelled activities, Buchan said that they are optimistic for a great turnout to the event.
“We’re getting excited and I just pray the weather holds off,” Buchan said. “We hope you’ll come out, enjoy the bouncy houses, and support FFA by getting a hot dog and a drink.”