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 The
Hilltop Club, which took over running the event back in 2017, had
many sponsors that helped put on the event. These included
Vonderlieth Living Center and their residents who helped put prizes
in the hundreds of eggs that were scattered across the field at
Frazier Park. In addition to Vonderlieth, Longview Community Bank,
Texas Roadhouse, Hope Church, Members of the Hilltop Club, and
Heather Gehlbach also sponsored and supported the event.
Frazier Park was filled with a large number of
people, ranging from small babies to excited grandparents. The
Easter Bunny was also present, taking pictures with anyone who
wanted one on the pitcher’s mound. Each family found their way to
their area, which were separated by age. These groups were toddlers,
preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade, and 2nd and 3rd grade.
Katie Alsup organized the event and kicked it off thanking the
sponsors and informing families on the order in which the kids would
be allowed onto the field. The youngest group was allowed to go
first, followed by the next oldest, and so on.
When Alsup called for the toddler group to go, kids
and parents took to the field of eggs ahead of them at varying
speeds. Some of the kids were unsure of exactly what to do, watching
as their parents guided them on picking up the eggs and putting them
into their bag. Within moments, the toddlers picked up on how it
worked, gleefully trotting here and there, grabbing as many eggs as
they could.
The attention was quickly split between the toddlers and the
preschoolers, as their group was called to start shortly after the
toddler group began. This group was a bit quicker to take to the
field, with several running as far out as they could and slowly
working their way back, picking up eggs that most others in their
group had not yet reached.
This was quickly followed by the kindergarten and 1st
grade group. It was clear from the start that this group had more
experience than the first two, as eggs were being picked up at a
much faster rate. You could see the fun being had as little legs
carried little bodies from egg to egg, with parents cheering from
the sidelines.
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The final group to go was the 2nd and 3rd grade
group. These kids were clearly the most experienced of the bunch,
chomping at the bit to get started. As soon as Alsup called for them
to start, these kids charged the field, picking up eggs with
lightning speed. Some even slid to the ground, picking up eggs all
around them before getting back on their feet and continuing their
mission. In all the chaos, you could hear cheering and laughter.
Everyone in attendance was having a blast.
Once everything began to calm down, parents began to sit with their
kids and open the eggs, getting at the goodies inside. Most of the
eggs held nickels, provided by Longview Community Bank. Some of the
eggs also had candy inside, and a select few contained slips for
larger prizes such as bicycles and prize baskets.
Some of the grand prize winners included Lily
McKinney of the preschool group, Ross Jones of the 2nd and 3rd grade
group, John Griffiths of the kindergarten and 1st grade group, and
Reese Deibert, who won the girl’s bike.
[Matt Boutcher] |
