Tribal Housing Easter Egg Hunt offering egg-cellent time on April 20

By Danielle Frost

Smoke Signals staff writer

Easter is Sunday, April 21, which means the annual Tribal Housing Department’s Easter Egg Hunt will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 20, rain or shine, at the covered area in Tribal housing on Raven Loop.

“Regardless of the weather, we hunt,” Rental Housing & Self-Sufficiency Coordinator Deborah Kroeker said.

Easter Egg Hunt organizers advise being on time for the event, as participants are not shy about cleaning out the supplies fast.

“It is important for first-time attendees to know that they should be a little early and they should bring their own Easter baskets or bags,” Kroeker said. “The kids here are quick – from the time we yell ‘Hunt!’ is usually about a minute before the grounds are cleared of eggs.”

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 treats.

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 eggs 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, Community Health employees and other volunteers stuff about 2,000 plastic eggs with candy during the week before the event. Tribal Council sponsors the hunt and pays for the candy.

“Housing’s maintenance staff is usually very helpful in this process,” Kroeker said.

She has been involved with the egg hunt since it was re-started in 2006, and said although it can be a tiring event for organizers, seeing the children’s smiles makes the effort worth it.

“The participation of the community in the preparation and events of the day and, of course, watching the kids with the Easter Bunny are my favorite parts of this,” Kroeker said.

All attendees are encouraged to attend a Family Fun Run/Walk event in the Tribal gym following the hunt in honor of April being Child Abuse Prevention Month. The event is hosted by the Tribe’s Children & Family Services Department, and will begin at 10 a.m. and end at noon. Activities include the run/walk, bouncy house, lunch, prizes and a raffle.