Kids hit a home run with the Mt. Pulaski Easter Egg Hunt in Frasier Park

 

[March 25, 2024] 

The Mt. Pulaski Hilltop Club put on their annual Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, March 24th. The event was initially set to be held the day prior but was changed due to the cold weather. The time of 10 a.m. on the initial date was also pushed back to 2 p.m. on the alternative date. 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.

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]