Egg-citing Easter event scheduled for Saturday, March 31

By Danielle Frost

Easter falls on Sunday, April 1, which means the annual Grand Ronde Easter Egg Hunt will be held Saturday, March 31, at the covered area in Tribal family housing.

Hunt organizers aren’t joking when they advise being on time for the event or you’ll feel like an April fool.

“The hunt begins at 10 a.m. and is usually over by 10:03 a.m.,” Rental Housing & Self-Sufficiency Coordinator Deborah Kroeker said.

So, this is one Tribal event that requires extreme promptness on the part of parents and prospective Easter egg hunters, lest they miss out on the various candy-filled eggs.

There are four hunt categories for children ages 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 8 and 9 to 12. Egg hunters are advised to bring their own Easter basket to put their bounty in. Typically, there are approximately 200 participants.

Parents are reminded to bring their own camera and Tribal Elder Steve Bobb Sr. is slated to be this year’s Easter Bunny again as he has in past years. He will be posing for pictures with children before and after the hunt.

Members of the Tribe’s Housing Department as well as a handful of other volunteers stuff about 2,000 plastic eggs with candy. Tribal Council sponsors the event and pays for the candy.

“We have a lot of fun stuffing the eggs and we don’t eat that much of the candy, unless a piece falls on the floor,” Kroeker joked.

She has been involved with the egg hunt since it was restarted in 2006 and said although it can be a tiring event for organizers, seeing the children smile makes the effort worth it.

“This is an event for the kids to have fun,” Kroeker said. “They all seem to have a great time with old-fashioned fun. I think it’s fantastic.”

This year, attendees are encouraged to take in the Spring Jamboree event in the Tribal gym following the hunt to kick off Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. It is sponsored by Children & Family Services and will begin at 10:15 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. Activities will include a “fun walk,” prizes and lunch while supplies last.