Annual egg hunt to be held Saturday

Children, grab your baskets and head to Wilbur Square Park on Saturday for the 61st annual Easter Egg Hunt.

The festivities are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. with pictures with the Easter Bunny. The egg hunt will start at 9 a.m.

There will be two egg hunts, one for those in preschool and younger, and one for kindergarten through second-graders. In all, more than 6,000 eggs filled with candy and gifts will be scattered over the park’s grassy areas.

In addition to two golden eggs, which yields their finders a special basket of goodies, there will be 12 glitter eggs for each of the egg hunts. Those who find the glitter eggs will be able to pick from an assortment of prizes, according to the Rev. Sandy Johnson of Boulder City United Methodist Fellowship, which is sponsoring the egg hunt.

This is the first year the church is sponsoring the event. Last year, Beta Sigma Phi members put out a call for someone to take over the 60-year-old hunt because the Lambda chapter, which sponsored the event, had disbanded and other chapters had their own activities.

The sorority members, however, have not completely severed their ties to the egg hunt.

Johnson said several sorority members will be on hand to coordinate the raffle for adults. Two gift baskets, with a total prize value of about $1,000, will be awarded.

Proceeds from the raffle will be used to sponsor summer activities for the church’s youth.

Johnson said organizing the annual egg hunt wasn’t too difficult as church members helped last year, and the sorority turned over all its notes with a schedule of tasks and when they needed to be completed.

“Our goal is to keep with the traditions and improve upon them, if possible,” she said. “We wanted more children to get more (treats).”

Last year about 700 children participated and event organizers are expecting about the same for Saturday’s hunt.

About the only change the church made, aside from adding more prize eggs, was that it did get a few religious items.

“It is Easter after all,” Johnson said. “And Easter is a Christian celebration.”

However, she said everyone is welcome and the church wants everyone to feel welcome.

Parents are asked to provide baskets to collect eggs, as well as cameras for pictures with the Easter Bunny.

The park is at 200 Park St.

For additional information, call 702-293-7240.

Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.