HARLINGEN — They dashed into the sunlit grounds, tiny hands grasping the colorful gems.
“I feel happy because I love Easter egg hunts,” said Ethan Prechel, 7, who loaded 15 of the plastic eggs into his pail before exiting the grounds where they lay waiting to be discovered.
Children and their parents both enjoyed the Easter egg hunt organized yesterday morning by Valley Praise United Methodist Church at 1927 W. Jefferson Ave.
A host of other activities were included in the event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“It’s a free event for the entire community,” said the Rev. Kevin Harden.
“We have the egg hunt, two inflatables, we have free food, hot dogs and water. It’s a great opportunity for us to communicate with the community.”
Parents appreciated the effort to give their children a fun activity.
“It’s a blessing to the community, for the church to give back to the community,” said Nora Martinez.
Her children had just finished collecting their quota of 15 eggs.
“It was just really fun,” said Amaris Martinez, 10. “They’ve got a piece of candy inside the eggs.”
She now set her pail aside, kicked off her shoes and started bouncing with great abandon inside the inflatables, as did Ethan. He and his sister Emma and mother Bethany Prechel are all members of Valley Praise.
“I love it,” said Prechel. “Every year the church actually comes out here and sets up the Easter egg hunt.”
Harden said this is the second year the church has held the event at this location. Previously, the church held the Easter egg hunt at Fair Park, but it’s now being held in two locations, the other in Santa Rosa.
It was all the same as far as the kids were concerned, though, as they arrived in a steady flow to get their share.
“I shared one,” said Emma Prechel, 7. “I gave one to another girl, she only had 14, and I was thankful to be here.”
Soon, children began donning body-sized bags for another exciting challenge, the sack races, perhaps driven by excitement and a little sugar boost from the candy.
