The hunt is on
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years AGO
Children descend on McCosh Park Saturday for the 2022 Easter egg hunt sponsored by the Moses Lake Lions Club. The hunt started at noon and all the eggs had been snapped up by 12:04.
File photo
Three-year-old Levi Heimark looks at the egg he found at the Easter egg hunt at McCosh Park last year. This year’s event is Saturday.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | April 7, 2023 1:20 AM
COLUMBIA BASIN — Small plastic eggs will be stashed – and snatched up by little hands at an astounding rate – all over the Basin this weekend.
Nearly every community in the area has its own Easter egg hunt either Friday or Saturday, as is traditional the weekend before Easter. The first one will be at Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata, at 10:30 a.m. Friday. This hunt is for kids 6 and under.
Both Moses Lake and Ephrata will have flashlight egg hunts Friday evening. Ephrata’s will be at Lions Park at 8:15 p.m. It’s hosted by Ephrata Parks and Recreation for kids in grades 5-12.
“The majority of the kids that we see there are middle school-ish, maybe some freshmen,” said Parks and Recreation Director Tracy Bennett. “But we really don't turn anyone away.”
It’s not usually very dark out when the hunt starts, Bennett added, so the flashlight is fun but not essential. The eggs will contain the usual pieces of candy, but there will also be some prizes.
Moses Lake will also hold a flashlight hunt for older kids Friday, at the McCosh Park Amphitheater at 8:45 p.m. There will be 4,000 eggs out for high-school-age kids to find, and 43 prizes as well, according to Gunnar Blankenship, recreation coordinator with the Moses Lake Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department.
“We've got a Spalding basketball with a pump and a JBL Clip 3 speaker,” Blankenship said. “That's one prize.” There are also Amazon and Visa gift cards, he said, and a host of gift cards for local businesses,” he added.
Saturday morning and early afternoon will see children turning out in public parks all over the Basin, including George, Mattawa, Soap Lake, Lind and Grand Coulee. Ephrata has another as well, for kids up to fourth grade, and Moses Lake has three, at McCosh Park, the sand dunes and Blue Heron Park.
People hoping to get in on the hunts would do well not to be late. Easter egg hunts tend to be quick as kids swarm onto the grass and grab up all the eggs in a matter of a few minutes.
“It takes us longer to scatter them out than it does for the kids to pick them all up,” Bennett said.
Joel Martin can be reached at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com
INFOBOX:
Here’s where the Easter Bunny will be leaving his treasures this year:
Ephrata
• Columbia Basin Hospital, Friday, 10:30 a.m. Ages 6 and under.
• Lions Park, Friday, 8:15 pm. Flashlight hunt for grades 5-12, hosted by Ephrata Parks and Recreation.
• Lions Park, Saturday, 1 p.m. Kids up to 4th grade. Sponsored by Rotary Club of Ephrata
George
• George Community Hall, Saturday, 9 a.m. Ages 0-12. Sponsored by the Georgettes.
Grand Coulee
• Grand Coulee Old Middle School Athletic Field, Saturday, 11 a.m. Hosted by Grand Coulee Dam Lions Club.
Lind
• Lind City Park, Saturday, 11 a.m. Hosted by Lind Lions Club.
Mattawa
• Hund Park, Saturday, 10 a.m. Kids only.
Moses Lake
• McCosh Park Amphitheater, Friday, 8:45 p.m. Flashlight hunt for grades 9-12. Hosted by Moses Lake Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services.
• McCosh Park, 12 noon. Hosted by Moses Lake Lions Club.
• Blue Heron Park, Saturday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Hosted by Grant County Animal Outreach.
• Moses Lake Sand Dunes, Saturday,12 p.m.-3 p.m. Hosted by Sand Scorpions ORV Group.
Quincy
• East Park, Saturday, 10 a.m. Sponsored by Quincy Moose Lodge No. 1925.
Soap Lake
• Smokiam City Park, Saturday, 10 a.m. Ages 12 and under.
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