An Easter tradition returns

The Greybull Elks Lodge and American Legion Post 32 made up for lost time on Sunday, hosting the community's first Easter egg hunt since pre-COVID.  And what a hunt it was.

Taking over for the now defunct Greybull Lions, volunteers from the two organizations filled more than 1,200 eggs and another 2,000 to 2,500 plastic bags and scattered them from one end of the park to the other.

Instead of just a single hunt, they marked out areas and times for age-specific hunts. The plan was for kids 1-4 to go at 1 p.m., 5-7 to follow at 1:15 p.m. and 8-11 to finish up at 1:30 p.m.

Twenty-four golden eggs added to the excitement.  Hunters who found them received special prizes, which included six new bikes (two in each age group) and 18 gift baskets (six in each age group).

Sheri Wilkinson, one of the organizers, said there were a couple of mix ups — most notably among them, the 1:15 hunt began a bit prematurely.

"It was our first time doing it, we learned from it and will do better next year and in future years," said Wilkinson.  "For this year, we really just wanted to get it going again."

 Wilkinson said about $2,500 was spent on prizes and candy for the children. 

The two organizations initially agreed to a 50/50 split on costs, but the math changed slightly when the Elks landed a $3,000 grant from their state organization that far exceeded their original $1,000 request.

According to Wilkinson, some of that grant money was used to host a Family Bingo Night activity. The rest was earmarked for the egg hunt, which lessened the financial burden of the Legion.

Volunteers from both organizations were out in force, volunteering their time to ensure the event's success.

Wilkinson said most of the prizes and candy were purchased locally, which made it a win-win for everyone — no one more so than the kids who got to hunt for eggs in the park again.