Families looking for some early Easter fun can join in on two Easter egg hunts this weekend in the cities of Eureka and Wildwood.
Eureka
The city of Eureka will hold its Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. March 23 at Kircher Park, 25 Williams Road.
Attendees will be treated to a free pancake breakfast from the Knights of Columbus, pictures with the Easter bunny and plant seedlings from the Eureka Garden Club.
Parks and Recreation Department supervisor Lizzie Roberds said the hunt changed locations this year from Legion Park.
“We’re actually pretty stinking excited about having a new location and changing things up a bit,” Roberds said. “We do have a Play9 (softball) tournament that weekend at Legion and Lions Park. Obviously, with the ballfields used for tournaments, we can’t have it there that weekend, and also, we don’t want to be taking up all that parking.”
Roberds said parking for the egg hunt will be available across the street from Kircher Park at the Eureka Soccer Park, 102 Williams Road. The lot at Kircher Park will be used for handicapped parking.
“We’ll have the Eureka Police there to safely get people across the street from the soccer park,” Roberds said.
According to the city website, egg hunts will begin at 11 a.m. Roberds said separate areas will be roped off for different age groups, including 2 and younger, 3-4, 5-7 and 8-10. She said the hunts will be held about 10 minutes apart.
“Make sure to participate in all the activities, get your picture with the Easter bunny, and then we’ll start (the hunts) with the youngest age group and work our way up to the oldest,” Roberds said.
Before, during and after the hunts, the city will provide crafts and cookie decorating, Roberds said. She said the Knights of Columbus will cook pancakes in the park. The Eureka Garden Club will have a plant potting activity for children, Roberds said.
She said the Easter eggs are ordered from American Carnival Mart, a St. Louis-based company. Some of the eggs are ordered pre-stuffed with small toys and stickers.
“All of our candy-stuffed eggs are stuffed by our staff, and the pre-vocational kids from Eureka High School will also help stuff them,” Roberds said.
Roberds said about 600 people attend the hunt each year. If the event is canceled because of weather conditions, a makeup date is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 30 at Kircher Park.
“We’re expecting a huge crowd,” Roberds said. “Make sure to bring your cameras or your phones for pictures with the Easter bunny. We hope to see everybody come in and have a good time.”
Wildwood
The city of Wildwood will hold its annual Spring Egg Hunt from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 23, at Fairway Elementary School, 480 Old Fairway Drive.
The free event features hunts for children ages 3-12. There will be 14,000 eggs hidden outdoors.
Stacy Chanski, recreation specialist for the city, said the hunt will be broken into different age groups to ensure all the participating children have a fair chance, and there will be chances to win prizes throughout.
“We have a few golden eggs that will have prizes,” she said.
Chanski said the hunt will begin sharply at 10 a.m., and despite the thousands of eggs hidden, it doesn’t take long for all of them to be found.
“It literally lasts about eight minutes and then it’s cleared out,” she said.
In addition to the egg hunt, Chanski said there will be face painting, giant inflatables, music and food trucks, such as a traveling coffee truck and sweet treats that will be sold. There also will be crafts with St. Louis Children’s Hospital and an opportunity to meet the “spring egg hunt bunny.”
“It’s just a really fun family thing,” Chanski said.
No registration is needed to attend or participate in the event.
For more information, visit cityofwildwood.com.