West Riverside holds egg hunt

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Jaelynn Hobbs, 2, gets a little help from her mom, Michelle Morton, while searching for eggs at the Kids of Community Easter Egg Hunt held yesterday. (Will Stewart photo)

Food, fun and egg hunts were the name of the game at West Riverside Activity Center Saturday afternoon as 168 children took part in the 2004 David Stalcup Memorial Easter Egg Hunt put on by Kids of the Community.

Following a moment of silence for Stalcup, a McMinnville police officer who died near the activity center in 2002, the attending children fanned out to three adjacent fields where they collected in excess of 7,000 candy-filled Easter eggs in less than 15 minutes.

Prizes were given to the children who collected the most eggs and found the coveted silver and gold eggs. Afterwards, each of the children was given candy and toy filled Easter baskets donated by local businesses, individuals and churches.

While at the event the children and many of their parents enjoyed hot dogs, chips and soft drinks courtesy of the Fraternal Order of Police. The Easter bunny also made an appearance.

Kids of the Community director Jason Crawford said the third annual Easter egg hunt was a rousing success.

“It went very, very well,” he said. “Being a walk-up event, the Easter egg hunt allows us to find a lot more kids we could help and who could use the program,” he said.