Easter Bunny hops to Glenwood

The weather on Easter weekend was beautiful. The tiny calves dotting the pastures around Glenwood are loving being able to romp and lounge in warm sunshine for a change. On Saturday, April 4, the Women’s Club hosted the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the county park.

The club greatly appreciates the group of young Mt. Adams Community 4-H members and their leader, Kelsey Griffin, for coming out early to help string ribbon, put up signs and decorations to prepare the three age group sections for the hunt, then hide 300 eggs throughout the park.

Most of the 4-H kids helping were young enough to still participate in the hunt, so they were careful to only hide eggs in the smaller age group sections and not peek across the park driveway to their section. Only one, Jentry Hoctor, has now aged out of the egg hunt, but she helped from start to finish, even helping to load totes and a chair back into my car. One very fun, outgoing 4-H member, Marcy Steinbach, granddaughter of Dwight and Raylene, volunteered to be the Easter Bunny this year. She looked so cute in the bunny costume. If you know Marcy, you know she’s quite friendly and chatty. I told her the bunny didn’t talk, just wandered around greeting the kids and offering candy, pretty pencils, and Easter stickers from the basket, so Jentry would be her escort to talk to the kids and make sure they were allowed to have candy. Her mom said later that’s a record for Marcy to not talk for that long! Great job, Marcy.

It was wonderful to see how many little kids and their families came out to enjoy the hunt. Thirty eggs were marked with “Bunny Bucks” and some had money amounts. The kids excitedly lined up at the Women’s Club table after the hunt to cash in their eggs for Bunny Bucks coupons and prize money. There were two Bunny Bucks coupons remaining for two eggs not found. When Jentry and I stopped at the store to return those coupons, Barbara said many little kids and their families had already stopped in to spend their Bunny Bucks and coins.

A huge thanks again to Claude at the Glenwood General Store for his donation of the Bunny Bucks and the ladies at the Glenwood Station for filling 100 eggs with candy and donating them to go with the ones we had already prepared. They were very a welcome addition and I think almost all the eggs were found, so there were plenty to go around. And thanks to Women’s Club president Carla Dillenburg and her husband Mike for checking the park the day before the hunt and picking up litter. I’m still smiling just thinking about the joy on the little kids’ faces.

We’ll keep doing this as long as we’re able because it’s one of our very favorite community service projects.

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Here’s another reminder of the Camas Prairie Pioneers Association May meeting, potluck, and field trip to historic sites of early day logging camps up above the Glenwood valley on May 3. Contact Jerry Dean if you would like more information. The potluck lunch prior to the field trip will be held at the Glenwood school.

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I have more details to share regarding a memorial service for Larry Babcock. The graveside service will take place on May 9 at 1 p.m. at the Mt. Adams cemetery, in Glenwood. There will be a potluck to follow at the Glenwood School. Please bring a dish to share and a story or memory of Larry.