Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt and Safety Fair return Saturday

The Safety Fair runs from 10 a.m. to noon, and the Egg Hunt which will start at exactly 11 a.m.

The event goes on, rain or shine.

The egg hunt and safety fair are two events that overlap, or one event with two overlapping parts, depending on how you look at it.

This free Easter weekend event was enjoyed by ore than 700 kids last year. This year, volunteers will hide a record 8,000-plus plastic eggs.

Along with the fun of hunting for all those eggs hidden in the grass of the park, every child ages 1-10 will receive an Easter goodie bag filled with candy, prizes, and stickers. The Easter Bunny will be ready for hugs and photos with the kids.

“As always, we are making this year’s egg hunt safe for the little ones and will do everything possible to assure a fun, safe and memorable experience for everyone,” Mueller said, adding that there will be special entertainment, music and “surprises” such as a visit from the “Easter Panda” starting at 10 a.m.

Since there will be so many families in one place, the egg hunt organizers have again invited several community safety organizations to put on a Children’s Safety Fair at the park at the same time as the Easter Egg Hunt.

The Fire Department will have fire trucks there for the kids to explore and pass out fire safety information. Sparky the Fire Dog will be present for hugs and photos.

Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital will pass out bike helmet stickers and provide certificates to receive a free bike helmet.

Safe Kids Columbia Gorge will have a booster seat education booth to assure that toddlers are properly secured in their booster seats.

The Hood River Aquatic Center will be sharing all about swimming safety.

Smokey the Bear will be on hand to teach about the dangers of wild fires.

The police department will have a cruiser on hand for children to explore as police officers talk about public safety.