Church hunt is for community
Get your baskets ready. The Easter Bunny will be hopping into Columbia County this weekend.
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Columbia County is holding its 16th annual Easter Egg Scramble on Saturday at Blanchard Woods Park.
About 5,000 eggs will be hidden on the park's soccer fields, said Keela Fruehling, a county community events specialist.
"There will be something special in (16) ... eggs," Fruehling said. "If you get one of those, then you get a really good Easter basket."
Children ages 1 to 4 years old are invited to hunt for eggs at 10 a.m., and those ages 5 and older can search for eggs at 11 a.m.
Between hunting for eggs, children and their families can enjoy entertainment from Tara Scheyer, inflatable carnival-type rides, refreshments and children's craft projects. The festivities will continue until noon.
Children also are invited to paint on the Monster Mural.
"They always love it," Fruehling said. "There is never an inch of white paper when they are done."
The Easter Bunny will be on hand for photos, Fruehling said.
The cost to join the eggs hunts is $1 per child.
The bunny also will make his way to Harlem for the city's sixth annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday at the Harlem City Park.
Festivities will begin about 10:30 a.m., with the egg hunts starting about 11:15 a.m., said Misty Hamb, an event organizer.
About 2,000 eggs will be hidden on the park fields for children in three age groups -- ages 1 to 3, 4 to 6, and 7 and up.
"There will be prize eggs," Hamb said. "The Easter Bunny will be there."
A coloring art station will be available for the kids, as will games, including sack races, bean bag toss and hula hoop contests, which will go on until about 1 p.m.
"It is going to be a lot of fun," Hamb said.
The event is free. Refreshments for the children will be provided.
The Easter Bunny will wait a week before dropping in on Mosaic United Methodist Church's inaugural community Easter egg hunt, set for April 3.
Children's crafts, face-painting, games and storytelling will run from 1 to 3 p.m. at Town Center Park, behind Kroger.
"We really wanted to give this as a gift to the community," said Megan Flores, the event coordinator. "We really wanted to reach out to the children in the community."
Hunts for 6,000 eggs in three groups -- pre-K and under, kindergarten through second grade, and third through fifth grades -- will begin at 2 p.m. Prizes and pinwheels also will be hidden in the field, Flores said.
Storytime will be about the children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar , which eats its way into a cocoon to emerge as a butterfly a week later. Flores said the book is an easy way to translate the story of Easter and Christ's Resurrection to children.
"It is a nice way to put the story in the kids' language," Flores said.
The event is free and open to the public.