Mad about that bunny
Fourth annual Easter egg hunt at Harris Field brings mob of kids
As the countdown for the 4th annual Easter egg hunt at Harris Field began Saturday morning, one mother on the sidelines quipped:
“This is the fastest you’ll ever see kids clean up in your life.”
Sure enough, the moment the signal was given, a mass of kids ages 2 to 10 (mostly) fanned out over Lewis-Clark State College’s vast baseball field snatching up small plastic bags of candy and Easter eggs like a robotic vacuum cleaner. In less than five minutes, the field was stripped bare.
“I like it. I got a prize egg,” beamed 9-year-old Abigail Laming. “That was the first one I saw in the field.”
The Webster Elementary student said finding a prize egg was extra special because today is her birthday.
Tammy Moore, 13, of Lapwai, didn’t find a prize egg but was happy with the small basket of candy she retrieved.
“It’s good; it’s really good,” Moore said. “I love it. I love the Easter bunny because he’s hiding eggs.”
Renee Olsen of Potlatch No. 1 Financial Credit Union in Lewiston that sponsored the egg hunt said the event draws hundreds of children each year and 5,000 plastic and candy Easter eggs and candy bags were placed in the field with the help of 60 volunteers from her company and the entire Lewis-Clark State College Warrior baseball team.
“We’re all about community, so this is a fun way for us to partner with L-C State and to involve our community,” Olsen said.
Olsen said she loves watching the kids and seeing all the excitement, “and just working together as a team.”
Aidan Nagle, 23, a right-fielder for the Warriors, said Saturday’s egg hunt was the first time he’d participated in the event, “But it’s fun. It’s a good way to start the morning.”
Nagle said when he was growing up in Santa Rosa, Calif., he participated in Easter egg hunts many times through the years.
Six-year-old Wyatt Frei of Cottonwood was another of the lucky egg hunters who snagged a prize egg.
“Yay!” Frei exclaimed, adding that he loves Easter “because we get to see the Easter bunny and he gives us candy.”
Saturday’s event was the first time Liam Hedges, 8, had participated. Hedges lives in Lewiston and is homeschooled.
“I’ve been in the newspaper three times,” Hedges said before showing off his basket of candy.
“It was really fun,” Hedges added. “I liked getting the candy and everybody here seemed friendly and I saw a few people from my gymnastics class here.”
Getting candy and seeing his friends wasn’t the only thing Hedges said he likes about Easter.
“I really like celebrating Jesus rising again on the third day and going to Mass,” he said.
Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.
