Get your baskets ready: Easter egg hunts slated

“We’ll have 12,000 eggs, and we’re planning to have at least 1,000 people,” said Arielle Arnette, administrative assistant for the church.

Arnette said this will be the second year the church has sponsored the community event. This year’s hunt will start at 3 p.m.

“We had more people than we planned for last year, but everybody was excited and glad to be there,” she said. “It was a beautiful day.”

Arnette said guests last year stayed long after the egg hunt ended to play and socialize, and she hopes the same happens this year.

“We’re going to have food and giveaway items, so we want people to be able to come and spend the afternoon,” Arnette said.

She said visitors should first enter the sanctuary, where registration and a brief introduction will take place. Then there will be two egg hunts for the different age groups.

“We want people to know that God loves them, which is why we do what we do,” Arnette said.

Another large Easter egg hunt in the area will take place at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum on Easter Sunday, April 5.

“We have a very big turnout every year,” said Amy Jones, secretary of the asylum.

She said the event will start at 1 p.m.

“We’ll have the Easter Bunny and Snow White here for photos this year,” Jones said. “They’ll take the photos by the water fountain, which all the kids love.”

She said visitors can park on each side of the roadway inside the main entrance to the asylum.

Bridgeport City Park will host an egg hunt at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

City Clerk Andrea Kerr said she expects about 250 kids to participate. The city has purchased 3,000 eggs.

“The Easter Bunny is on hand to take pictures with the kids and to help with the event,” Kerr said.

A few lucky youngsters will find a golden egg.

“Kids who find those special eggs can take them to a parks and rec employee for a prize,” Kerr said.

Children who don’t bring their own basket will be provided with a plastic bag, she added.

The Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library will host an Easter egg hunt from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday

“There’s always been about 200 kids who show up, so we’re expecting quite a few,” said Erica Perry, children’s librarian. “Have your Easter baskets ready.”

She said youngsters are limited in the number of eggs they can take — enough to fill one Easter basket. There will be about 3,500 eggs hidden throughout the library.

The eggs were filled by the Clarksburg League for Service.

“It’s one of our traditional spring activities for the community,” said Kathy Morrison, chairman of the league’s applied fine arts committee.

She said about 11 new members worked to fill the eggs.

“We do refreshments as well,” said Terri Walker, past president of the league. “We have cookies and drinks for the kids.”

There will also be two Easter bunnies that will visit with the children during the event.

Kids in Anmoore will have the chance to find a special treat during the upcoming Easter egg hunt, which will be held Sunday at 2 p.m.

“We have 75 silver dollars that have been donated,” said Meredith McClain, who is a member of the Anmoore Recreation Committee. “They’ll be in some of the bags as well as in separate eggs.”

McClain said the silver dollars were donated anonymously to the recreation committee, which hosts the event at Vincent Park.

“We usually have about 75 to 100 kids there,” she said.

Visually impaired children from several surrounding counties will attend a special Easter egg hunt on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church next to Compton Park in Bridgeport.

The children find the eggs by following the sound of a beeper that has been placed inside of a large, plastic panty hose case.

“The kids who go looking for them can find them just by hearing them,” said Carl Hatfield, president of the Bridgeport Lions Club.

The club sponsors the event every year. A previous member — Bill Miles — invented the beeping egg, but passed away the year before they were used.

Hatfield said a member of his club stands near each of the beeping eggs.

“When the kids find an egg, the Lions member gives them a regular egg filled with candy,” Hatfield said.

The children also receive Easter baskets put together by the Bridgeport Women’s Club, Hatfield said.

Hatfield said they expect from 10 to 15 visually impaired children at the event.

Dog owners will even have a place to let their four-legged friends hunt for eggs.

“We have Easter eggs that have homemade dog treats inside of them,” said Carla Kesling, president of WVDogs.

The canine event will be held April 11 at the Veterans Memorial dog park in Clarksburg, with registration starting at noon.

“Some of the people even dress their dogs up in costumes with bunny ears and things,” she said.

There will be games for the puppies from noon to 1 p.m., then the hunt will begin. Kesling expects nearly 50 dogs in the hunt.

“It’s by donation, and all the proceeds go to improvement of the dog park,” she said. “It’s helped to put in the water fountain, and add some other things like agility jumps.”

She said pet helpers will be available for the entire event, and a few dogs that are available for adoption will even be there to meet families.