Beautiful, breezy weather made the perfect backdrop for the annual Greensburg Daily News Egg Hunt and Decatur County Family YMCA Healthy Kids Day.
Hundreds of local children participated in the events, making a mad dash for the tasty treats and then touring booths at the health-themed fair with their families.
Thousands of candy-filled plastic eggs stood out against the bright green grass on the YMCA soccer field. In addition to a variety of candy, three special eggs contained tickets for a new bicycle, thanks to a generous donation from Greensburg Walmart.
Daily News Office Manager and event coordinator Natalie Acra extended her appreciation to all of the local businesses, organizations, and individuals who ensured the success of this year’s hunt.
“Each year. the success of the egg hunt depends on those people, and without them an event of this magnitude would not be possible. A huge thank you to our event co-sponsor DCMH and to the AmeriCorps group for all the community service hours provided,” Acra said.
Children participating in the egg hunt were split into separate areas according to age. Age groups were 2 to 4, 5 to 7, and 8 to 10. Members of the Greensburg Lions Club volunteered their time to help with event registration, as well as passing out a “Magical Bunny Fortune Teller” to each child along with a ticket for a tasty treat at Wendy’s.
For several years, the egg hunt has been held in coordination with the annual YMCA Healthy Kids Day, and the partnership continues to thrive. Bringing the events together offers an opportunity for the egg hunt, as well as letting families visit the Healthy Kids Day fair to learn about local community resources.
“With the summer months coming up and everyone planning to be more active outside, Healthy Kids Day is a way to promote healthy activities,” said YMCA Associate Executive Director Rob Van Til. “We bring in a lot of groups that support that activity and ways to get outside and to promote healthy living now that the sun is out and everyone can go out and play.”
Hosting the health fair alongside the egg hunt benefits both parties, Van Til said.
“Everyone wants to come out for an egg hunt, and for some people, it introduces them to things that they need, like the summer feeding program or contact with the police in a positive environment. It gives people an opportunity to interact with organizations in a way they can benefit from because it’s an open environment,” Van Til said.
Numerous booths were staffed by members of local organizations showing their services. Many offered information, giveaways, and activities for the whole family. The popular Touch-A-Truck display returned, allowing kids to get up close and personal with a variety of vehicles. They were able to climb inside and ask questions about the mighty machines, which they ordinarily would not be able to explore.
The goal of events such as this is to promote an active, happy lifestyle. Judging by the children dashing around “egg-zuberently,” it appears to have been accomplished.