Saturday is the 56th Community Easter Egg Hunt at Donner Park in Columbus.
Be aware that it starts promptly at 10 a.m. If you arrive even a few minutes late, you’ll absolutely miss the chance to pick up some colorful plastic Easter eggs filled with candy or trinkets.
The brightly colored eggs get scattered in the area between the shelter house and the back of Donner Center and the swimming pool.
The Kentucky Derby likes to bill itself as the “most exciting two minutes in sports.” But if you’ve ever been to a Community Easter Egg Hunt, you know it’s pretty thrilling in the eyes of the kids as they scour the grounds at Donner Park and find all the eggs in about two minutes flat.
This event is an amazing cooperation among a number of community partners who put in a lot of time to make sure the kids have a little free fun.
Columbus Parks and Recreation staffers diligently cordon off age-specific areas in the park between the shelter house and Donner Center for all youngsters 8 and younger. There’s also a little island in the back parking lot where those age 2 and younger can take their time picking up eggs.
The Columbus Fire Department, Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department will have vehicles in the parking lot so the early arriving youngsters and others can get a close-up look at those units.
The Easter bunny will be there for photo-ops and will have extra candy for the little ones before WCSI’s Sam Simmermaker’s famous countdown triggers the sirens to signal the start of the event.
Leading up to the event, volunteers at Mill Race Center gather to stuff candy into all those plastic eggs and they whip through that challenge with bright smiles and a high degree of energy.
This year, the Meridian Kiwanis Club has donated the funds to purchase all the candy and the colorful plastic Easter eggs, joining Columbus Parks and Recreation and WCSI radio as sponsors.
In the event of inclement weather, the event is moved indoors to Donner Center and the eggs are handed out to the children.
Remember to bring your Easter basket.
